Modi Govt to set up 'Anomaly Committee' for implementation of 7th Pay Commission

THE Narendra Modi-led NDA Government last week announced the setting up of an 'Anomaly Committee' to settle issues arising out of the implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission's recommendations from August 1. The announcement came following concerns by unions of employees over the delay in setting up the high level committee, which was assured by the Group of Ministers (GoM) to review the minimum wage and multiplication factor as well as anomalies which...
have come up following implementation of the new Pay Commission recommendations.
A notification issued by the Department of Personnel in New Delhi said that Anomaly Committee would consist of representatives of the official side and the staff side. It also said that the Committee would be guided by specified conditions.
It said that definition of Anomaly will include where the official side and the staff side are of the opinion that any recommendation is in contravention of the principle or the policy enunciated by the Seventh Central Pay Commission itself without the Commission assigning any reason.
As per the notification there will be two levels of Anomaly Committees — National and Departmental, consisting of representatives of the Official Side and the Staff Side of the National Council and the Departmental Council respectively.
The National Anomaly Committee will deal with anomalies common to two or more Departments and in respect of common categories of employees. The Departmental Anomaly Committee will deal with anomalies exclusive to the Department concerned and having no repercussions on the employees of another Ministry/Department. The committee shall receive anomalies through Secretary, the staff side of respective Council up to six months from the date of its constitution and it will finally dispose of all the anomalies within a period of one year from the date of its constitution. Any recommendations of the Anomaly Committee to resolve the anomaly shall be subject to the approval of the Government.
Cases where there is a dispute about the definition of "anomaly" and those where there is a disagreement between the staff side and the official side on the anomaly will be referred to and "arbitrator" to be appointed out of a panel of names proposed by the two sides. However, this arbitration will not be a part of the JCM Scheme.
On August 12 the National Joint Council of Action (NJCA) in a communication to all its constituents had said that it has asked the Cabinet Secretary to hold a Special discussion with on the issue. It had said its representatives have conveyed strong `resentment’ over decision to allow the first option given to the pensioners be implemented subject to feasibility. “We have reiterated that while we are open to discussion as to the methodology of verification of the claims of individual petitions in respect of Option No.l, we would not be able to countenance of the non-implementation of the recommendation of the 7th CPC on the flimsy ground of non-availability of records”. It also had asked the Constituents Organisations to forward the various anomalies on the implementation of the Seventh CPC notification within in 15 days.