Gaurav Shukla emphasizing the need to link salaries to performance, calculates the bill:

The pay hike will bring about massive strain on the exchequer. With the implementation of the fifth pay commission’s recommendations, the central government’s wage bill shot up by nearly 99 per cent. The present recommendations, when implemented, are expected to cause an additional annual encumbrance of Rs 20,000 crore.

Tejinder pegs the costs at a lower level:

The series of proposals made by the 6th pay commission, if implemented would cost the government Rs 12,561 crore -in 2008-09. In addition it would involve an additional one-time burden of Rs 18060 crore on payment of arrears.

And how about inflation and the danger of rising living costs for the aam aadmi, Satish seems to ask:

About forty-five lakh government employees will get 40-60% salary hike putting an additional burden of Rs20,000 crores. What would happen to the pernicious inflation and also the growing disparity between the rich and the poor? There is no time for the policy framers to ponder over these mundane matters now as vote-bank politics is ruling supreme. For those hapless millions who are not part of any pressure groups, such bonanza makes little difference to their lives and on the contrary, they are viewed as ominous signs of darker days ahead.

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