The government employees in Maharashtra are set for a pay hike from Diwali this year. The state government will implement recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission for its employees from Diwali (which falls in November this year), finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar told PTI on Sunday.

"The Seventh Pay Commission will be our Diwali gift to employees," he said. The decision will benefit 19 lakh government employees across the state. It will put a financial burden of Rs 21,530 crore on the state exchequer, Mungantiwar said. "The finance department made provisions of Rs 10,000 crore in its annual budget presented in March this year," he said.