8th Pay Commission BIG Update: Modi government likely to include these categories of workers, salaries may rise up to…

8th Pay Commission: As the Narendra Modi government begins work on the 8th Pay Commission, hopes are rising among Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) across the country. Now, the Member of Parliament Ambika G. Laxminarayan Valmiki has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding that 2.75 lakh Gramin Dak Sevaks be brought under the purview of the 8th Pay Commission.

In her letter to the Prime Minister, MP Valmiki stated, “Around 2.75 lakh Gramin Dak Sevaks are working in the postal department, providing essential postal services in rural areas that are as important as those provided in urban regions.”

Here are some of the key details:

• The member of Parliament has expressed concern that separate departmental committees are formed to review the pay structure and service conditions of GDS.
• Gramin Dak Sevaks are deprived of the key benefits that regular central government employees receive under the recommendations of the Pay Commissions.
• At present, only central government employees are eligible for the salaries and allowances recommended by the Pay Commissions.
• GDS are not recognized as central government employees and therefore do not receive the benefits of the 7th or 8th Pay Commission.

She further wrote, “Doing so will not only deliver justice to this large group of hardworking postal workers but will also boost the efficiency and morale of the postal department’s rural network.”

What the 7th Pay Commission had said

The 7th Pay Commission stated in its report that Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) are not recognized as central government employees. Therefore, it recommended that the postal department’s budget for GDS salaries and allowances should be maintained under a separate head from “Salaries,” since the “Salaries” category is reserved only for regular central government employees.