More than 1 crore central government employees and pensioners are anxiously waiting for an official announcement from the Centre regarding the establishment of the 8th Central Pay Commission. This commission will play a crucial role in revising the salaries and pensions of central government employees, taking into account the current economic conditions in the country.

However, few media reports suggest that the Narendra Modi government is considering a significant departure from tradition by potentially scrapping the 8th Pay Commission. Instead, it may introduce a new mechanism to ensure timely revisions to salaries and pensions for central government employees, said an NDTV Profit report.

“I still believe that the 8th Pay Commission is the best route to revise the wages. But, yes, it is possible that the government may come with up another (mechanism),” NDTV Profit reported quoting Shiv Gopal Mishra, secretary, staff side of the National Council of Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM).

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8th Pay Commission: What Central Govt Employees Need To Know?

Additionally, the Union Finance Ministry recently said that there are currently no plans to establish the 8th Pay Commission, dismissing ongoing speculation. Pankaj Chaudhary, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, has confirmed that the government currently has no intention of setting up a new pay commission. He stated this in response to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

The NC-JCM had recently urged the Union Cabinet Secretary to expedite the formation of the 8th Central Pay Commission, without any delay. “The 7th Central Pay Commission was constituted on February 28, 2014, nearly two years before its implementation on January 1, 2016. With only a year left for the next revision, there is no justification for further delay.” He said, “the Pay Commissions used to take almost 2 years period for submitting their final report to the government and the government takes 3 to 6 months for considering and implementing its recommendations,” said Shiv Gopal Mishra.

Mishra had earlier mentioned that the new Pay Commission may likely consider taking up a fitment factor of “at-least 2.86”. If the government gives its nod to this proposed fitment factor, central government employees can expect a significant salary boost. Specifically, the minimum salary would see a substantial increase of 186%, jumping from the current Rs 18,000 to Rs 51,480.

Furthermore, applying the same fitment factor, the minimum pension for central government employees is likely to rise from the existing Rs 9,000 to Rs 25,740. Notably, the government implemented the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission from January 2016.

However, the recent developments had sparked widespread disappointment and uncertainty among central government employees and pensioners. The outlook for setting up a new pay commission remains unclear and warrants close attention.