West Bengal approves 7th Pay Commission -- How high can employee salaries rise now?

The West Bengal government has approved the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission, paving the way for revised salaries, pensions and allowances for lakhs of state government employees and retirees. The decision is expected to significantly impact monthly incomes and retirement benefits, although the actual increase will depend on the fitment factor eventually adopted by the state government.

The announcement was made following a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. State minister for Women & Child Development and Social Welfare Agnimitra Paul said the proposal was approved after cabinet discussions and would address a long-standing demand from government employees.

Fitment factor

While the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission has been cleared, the state government has not yet announced the fitment factor — the multiplier used to revise salaries and pensions. This number is crucial because it determines the extent of salary growth employees receive under a new pay structure.

West Bengal previously implemented its 6th Pay Commission with a fitment factor of 2.57. That revision was notified in September 2019, though arrears were provided with effect from January 1, 2016.

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The state currently follows a multi-level salary structure with entry basic pay beginning at Rs 17,000 and extending up to Rs 1.28 lakh across higher grades.

Estimated salary hike

Illustrative estimates provide a glimpse into how salaries could rise under different fitment factor scenarios.

For entry-level employees under Level 1 with a basic pay of Rs 17,000:

Salary may rise to Rs 34,000 with a 2.0 fitment factor
It may increase to Rs 38,250 under a 2.25 multiplier
At a 2.5 fitment factor, salary could reach Rs 42,500

For employees in Level 10 earning Rs 32,100 basic pay:

Revised salary could increase to Rs 64,200 at 2.0
Around Rs 72,225 at 2.25
Nearly Rs 80,250 under a 2.5 multiplier

The increase becomes even more substantial in senior categories.

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A Level 20 employee with current entry basic pay of Rs 84,500 could see pay rise to Rs 1.69 lakh under a 2.0 fitment factor, Rs 1.90 lakh under a 2.25 factor and approximately Rs 2.11 lakh under a 2.5 multiplier.

At the top end, Level 24 employees currently drawing Rs 1.28 lakh basic pay could potentially see salaries cross Rs 3.22 lakh under estimated 2.5-factor calculations.

Other decisions

The state cabinet also approved additional measures alongside the pay commission decision. It proposed the Annapurna Bhandar scheme, which will be linked with beneficiaries under the existing Lakshmir Bhandar programme. Existing beneficiaries will receive money directly into their bank accounts, while fresh applicants can register through a portal expected to open shortly.

The cabinet also approved free travel for women in state-run buses beginning June 1 and decided to discontinue religion-based welfare assistance programmes from next month.

For employees and pensioners, however, attention now shifts to one pending announcement — the fitment factor. That figure will ultimately determine how high salaries rise under West Bengal's new 7th Pay Commission framework.