Will Salary Hike Improve Performance!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008 (New Delhi)
The sixth pay commission that is expected to submit its report any day, will bring windfall gains for more than 55 lakh government employees, but the big question is, will the pay hike reduce corruption in the government and improve governance?Neera Yadav and Akhand Pratap Singh, both former chief secretaries of Uttar Pradesh were identified as the most corrupt by their own fraternity in 1998, people who had close political links.A similar exercise undertaken recently by the India Rejuvenation Initiative, an NGO run by former judges and bureaucrats, found that the 10 most corrupt IAS and IPS officers in UP were worth over Rs 100 crore. Figures starkly disproportionate to their salaries.PAY HIKE ON THE CARDS
Salary hike for central government employees after Holi
Reports: Salaries to go up by at least 20 per cent
55 lakh central government employees to benefit
Sixth pay commission will cost 1.5 per cent of GDPBENEFICIARIES
Judges
Bureaucrats
Armed forces, paramilitary
Engineers
Scientists
Class four employeesWHAT PAY HIKE MEANS
Cabinet Secretary (Basic Salary): Rs 25-26,000
After 20 per cent hike (Basic Salary): Rs 30-31,000THE SALARY DIVIDE
DC's salary: Rs 20,000 + perks
Call centre employee: Rs 20,000
RBI Governor: Rs 44,000 + perks
Software analyst: Rs 60,000The sixth pay commission report is expected soon and the government employees are doing a quick calculation of what is could possibly mean to them.At least, a 20 per cent hike is expected, but will this raise mean less corrupt officers.''Anyone who thinks pay hikes by the commission will reduce corruption is living in a fool's paradise. Today bureaucrats want the economic muscle of a businessman and the power of a politician,'' said Prakash Singh, former DGP, Uttar Pradesh.The earlier pay commission recommended a 30 per cent hike in salaries and the government accepted it without delay.But suggestions like cutting down a bloated bureaucracy and making babus accountable have not yet been implemented.''What about accountability and delivery systems? We can easily cut down the babus and chaprasis by one fourth. The efficiency would increase tremendously,'' said TSR Subramaniam, former cabinet secretary.Government employees have huge expectations from the sixth pay commission and it's a crucial vote bank that the government will not want to annoy, given the fact that elections don't seem to be too far away.