Anticipated DA From January 2014: AICPIN for October 2013

Anticipated DA From January 2014: AICPIN for October 2013

Consumer Price Index Numbers for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) October 2013

According to a press release issued by the Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour & Employment the All-India CPI-IW for October, 2013 rose by 3 points and pegged at 241 (two hundred and forty one). On 1-month percentage change, it increased by 1.26 per cent between September and October compared with 0.93 per cent between the same two months a year ago.

The largest upward pressure to the change in current index came from Food group contributing 2.53 percentage points to the total change. At item level, Rice, Wheat Atta, Fish Fresh, Goat Meat, Milk (Cow & Buffalo), Pure Ghee, Onion, Vegetable items, Tea Readymade, Electricity Charges, etc.. are responsible for the rise in index. However, this was compensated to some extent by Groundnut Oil, Ginger, Petrol, putting downward pressure on the index.

The year-on-year inflation measured by monthly CPI-IW stood at 11.06 per cent for October, 2013 as compared to 10.70 per cent for the previous month and 9.60 per cent during the corresponding month of the previous year. Similarly, the Food inflation stood at 15.02 per cent against 13.36 per cent of the previous month and 9.91 per cent during the corresponding month of the previous year.

At centre level, Bhavnagar recorded the highest increase of 9 points each followed by Ahmedabad, Labac Silchar and Kodarma (8 points each) and Vadodara and Surat (7 point each). Among others, 6 points rise was registered in 8 centres, 5 points in 10 centres, 4 points in 8 centres, 3 points in 9 centres, 2 points in 10 centres and 1 point in 11 centres. On the contrary, Belgaum and Chhindwada centres reported a decline of 3 points each followed by Mercara (2 points) and Salem, Hubli Dharwar and Puducherry (1 point each). Rest of the 15 centres’ indices remained stationary.

The indices of 39 centres are above All-India Index and other 38 centres’ indices are below national average.

The next index of CPI-IW for the month of November, 2013 will be released on Tuesday, 31 December, 2013. The same will also be available on the office website www.labourbureau.gov.in

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Central Government Employees ask Centre to Consider Merger of 50 percent DA

Central Government Employees ask Centre to Consider Merger of 50 percent DA

Government employees have asked the Centre to consider merging dearness allowance with their pay, arguing that the Sixth Pay Commission — quite like the Centre — could not have anticipated the high inflation that has eroded real wages over the last decade.

Since 2006 – when the recommendations of the last pay commission came into force – the dearness allowance has increased to 90%, a reflection of the high inflation environment that employees have to cope up with.

The demand was made at a preliminary meeting held between the department of personnel and the employee representatives to discuss the proposed Seventh Pay Commission announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in September.

Congress media department chief Ajay Maken had asked the Prime Minister to announce the next pay commission in March this year. Writing in his capacity as a cabinet minister, Maken had also argued for a liberal increase in the salaries of government officials to attract and retain talent.

Representatives of government employees weren’t as optimistic.

Umraomal Purohit, secretary, staff side, however, did stress on the merger of dearness allowance (DA) with the basic pay. Purohit said that the sixth pay commission did not recommend merger as they could not have anticipated a high rate of inflation which resulted in employees being granted a 90% rate of DA.

Purohit and other representatives also emphasised that a system should be put in place to ensure that anomalies created due to recommendations of pay commissions should be resolved within a year of the implementation of the report.

Government sources said the pay commission could be notified over the next two months or so, well before the model code of conduct for the general elections kicks in. Also, the Centre is expected to give the panel enough time to prepare its report in the hope that the government would be a lot more comfortable vis-a-vis the fiscal deficit by the time the panel submits its report

 source : Hindustan Times

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