7th Pay Commission in West Bengal: Suvendu Adhikari-Led BJP Government Approves Constitution of 7th State Pay Commission

The West Bengal government has officially approved the establishment of the 7th State Pay Commission to overhaul the salary structures of state employees. State Minister Agnimitra Paul announced the decision following a cabinet meeting at the state secretariat. Led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, the administrative meeting finalised the framework to extend pay revisions to lakhs of personnel across standard government departments, public sector undertakings, statutory boards, corporations, and state-aided educational institutions.

Cabinet Deliberations and Structural Alignment

The decision was finalised during a high-level cabinet session attended by a five-member panel consisting of Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Nisith Pramanik, Ashok Kirtania, and Kshudiram Tudu, alongside Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal. Amit Shah Criticises Decades of Governance in West Bengal, Alleges Commission System in Daily Life.

According to ministerial briefings, the core objective of the newly approved pay commission is the introduction of a standardised pay matrix designed to close the baseline salary disparities that have long existed between state-level employees and central government staff. Following the adjournment of the session, Minister Paul addressed the press to confirm the scope of the upcoming restructuring.

"The 7th State Pay Commission will be formed to revise salaries for government employees and staff of various boards, corporations, and educational institutions," Paul stated, adding that a formal administrative notification detailing the operational timeline would be issued by the state secretariat shortly.

Fitment Factor Matrix and Projected Allowance Adjustments

The newly authorised 7th Pay Commission structure is projected to adopt a 2.57 fitment factor framework, which mathematically scales a worker's basic pay upward. Under this formula, an employee drawing a foundational basic salary of INR 20,000 would see an adjustment raising their basic pay to INR 51,400. Beyond core salary modifications, the transition is expected to alter additional employee benefits. State workers could see an upward adjustment in Dearness Allowance (DA) to bring local metrics into alignment with the All India Consumer Price Index. The framework is also expected to trigger corresponding upward revisions across secondary employee benefits, including House Rent Allowance (HRA), Travel Allowance (TA), and Medical Allowance. Suvendu Adhikari Threat Email: Man Arrested for Sending Threatening Mail Targeting West Bengal CM.

Status of Dearness Allowance Discussions

While the creation of the commission addresses broader structural pay scales, state authorities noted that specific immediate adjustments to current dearness variables were omitted from the day's legislative agenda. The minister clarified that Dearness Allowance was not on the agenda for Monday's meeting, but confirmed it will be explicitly tabled for independent policy discussions at a later date. State administrative representatives reiterated that the upcoming structural revisions aim to stabilise regional employee retention and establish parity with federal employment compensation scales.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 18, 2026 02:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).