8th Pay Commission: Meetings of the Eighth Pay Commission began yesterday in Delhi and will continue until August 10. Its purpose is to address the fundamental problems of central government employees and pensioners.

Marathon meetings of 8th Pay Commission in Delhi

8th Pay Commission Latest Update: The 8th Pay Commission began meetings with employee organizations and pension unions in New Delhi on August 7th, and will continue until August 10th. Chaired by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, the commission's meetings are primarily focused on the fitment factor, basic salary hikes, allowance restructuring, and pension reforms. The process has now reached its final stage, following an 18-month deadline set by the central government.

These discussions in Delhi are significant because the commission has already completed a significant portion of its 18-month term. Although the panel has not officially announced the agenda for these meetings, discussions are likely to focus primarily on key issues related to central government employees and pensioners.

When will the commission submit its report?

It is important to note that the 8th Pay Commission is a temporary body, formed on November 3, 2025. This three-member panel is headed by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai. Professor Pulak Ghosh and Member-Secretary Pankaj Jain are its other members.

The Commission is expected to submit its final report to the central government within 18 months of its formation, with a likely timeframe around May-June 2027. After interacting with stakeholders in New Delhi, the 8th Pay Commission will visit Chennai, Puducherry, Chandigarh, and Jaipur in the coming weeks.

What are the demands of the employees?

• The National Council-Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM) and other unions have demanded a 3.83 fitment factor, which would increase the minimum basic salary from Rs 18,000 to Rs 69,000. However, nothing has been finalized on this issue yet. The Commission will take a decision only after consulting with all stakeholders.
• The demand of pensioners' unions is to increase the full pension to 67% of the last drawn salary and the family pension to 50%.
• It has also been proposed to provide additional pension at an increased rate to senior pensioners above 65 years of age and to increase the fixed medical allowance to Rs 3000 per month.
• The unions have proposed to increase the House Rent Allowance (HRA) to 36%, 24% and 12% for X, Y and Z category cities respectively.
• With estimates of dearness allowance (DA) crossing 50% by early 2026, discussions are also underway to merge it with the basic pay and fix allowances afresh.