7th Pay Commission: Govt waives off exam, application fee for these candidates

7th Pay Commission: The Centre has waived off exam and application fees for Persons with Disabilities (PwD), also known as divyangs. This will be applicable for exams conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Staff Selection Commission (SSC) to fill vacancies for the central government posts. The decision to rollback exam and application fees for divyangs comes in wake of the 2016 Supreme Court order, following which the Centre notified The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, 2017, reported Zee Business, adding the order said the government had decided to waive off the exam and application fee for PwDs.

Besides, the central government employees could also get a big bonanza of 5 per cent hike in the existing Dearness Allowance (DA) for July-December 2019, ahead of the festive season in October. If that happens, the DA for the second half of 2019 is expected to increase to 17 per cent. It will also be the biggest hike since the implementation of the 7th CPC recommendations in 2016.

These employees were expecting a positive announcement on their long-pending demands of a hike in minimum pay and fitment factor beyond the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) in the Union Budget 2019, but to no avail.

DA is a cost of living adjustment allowance - adjusted in line with inflation to compensate for price rise - that is calculated as a fixed percentage of a person's basic salary or pension. It is pegged to the All India Consumer Price Index (Industrial Workers). India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are reportedly the only countries where government employees are given such an allowance.

In addition, the central government employees that fall under the government's risk category may also be looking at a special allowance, as recommended by the 7th CPC. Earlier this month, the Centre issued a notification to ascertain the number of employees that are eligible for the risk and hardship allowance of up to Rs 25,000 per month, depending on the department and employee's length of service. The government had sought the list of eligible employees by August 20.

Edited by Manoj Sharma

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