New Delhi: Over six months after announcing the constitution of the 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC), the Centre has finally indicated a timeline for issuing the official notification regarding the appointment of its chairman and members.
Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary, informed the Rajya Sabha during the ongoing Monsoon Session that the government has received inputs from key stakeholders and will notify the commission “in due course”.
The 8th Pay Commission is expected to commence its term from 1 January 2026, following the completion of the 10-year term of the 7th CPC on 31 December this year.
However, progress on formal appointments and finalising the Terms of Reference (ToR) has lagged, creating concern among more than one crore central government employees and pensioners who are awaiting salary and pension revisions.
In response to a question from Rajya Sabha member Sagarika Ghose regarding the date of notification and the selection of the panel’s chairman and members, Chaudhary stated that these appointments would follow the official notification. He added that once constituted, the commission would operate according to the timeline defined in its ToR.
The National Joint Consultative Machinery (Staff Side), which represents central government employees and pensioners, has already submitted its suggestions for the ToR to the Cabinet Secretary earlier this year after the government sought stakeholder inputs.
Chaudhary noted that responses have been received from key departments, including the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Personnel & Training, and state governments. These will help shape the final ToR of the commission.
Historically, pay commissions take 18 to 24 months to complete their work after formal constitution.
Although the last pay panel’s report was also delayed, it was implemented retrospectively from 1 January 2016. The 8th CPC is expected to follow a similar pattern, making its recommendations on salaries, pensions, allowances and welfare measures for government employees based on the upcoming ToR.
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