The 8th Central Pay Commission has opened its consultation process ahead of recommendations that will significantly impact salaries of central government employees and pensioners, including railways and defence staff. According to reports from Mint, the commission was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2025 and is chaired by Former Supreme Court Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai. The commission includes Professor Pulak Ghosh, tenured Professor of Finance, Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, and Pankaj Jain as Member-Secretary.
The commission has extended its deadline to invite representatives of central government employees to submit their memorandum of suggestions by 31 May 2026. As reported by Mint, this represents a month's extension from the previous deadline of 30 April after the process began on 5 March 2026. Eligible participants include central government pensioners and family pensioners, defence personnel and ex-servicemen, serving central government employees (civil and defence), recognised employee unions and associations, and other concerned stakeholders and citizens.
According to Mint, submissions can be made through the MyGov portal by navigating to the 8th Pay Commission consultation section. Participants must log in using a registered mobile number or email ID and can enter suggestions related to salary revision, allowances, fitment factor, pension structure, or service conditions. The process requires no supporting documents and allows multiple suggestions to be submitted separately.
As reported by Mint, the commission's decisions are set to boost about 50 lakh central government employees and some 65-lakh retired pensioners' allowances, pay hikes, salary structure, dearness allowance and fitment factor. The commission has planned meetings with employee representatives in Telangana, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir and Delhi in May and June 2026. The final document is slated for submission roughly 18 months following the Commission's inception on 3 November 2025. However, the fiscal burden is estimated at ₹3.9 lakh crore, raising concerns about inflationary risks that could impact the broader economy.
According to Mint, upcoming meetings include Hyderabad, Telangana on 18-19 May 2026, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir from 1-4 June 2026, and Ladakh on 8 June 2026. The commission will gather views from labour representatives and groups, ministries, pension bodies, central government organisations, employee unions, and other stakeholders. Individual hikes will depend on the level of the employee or pensioner as basic pay differs from level to level, with basic salary potentially rising to ₹51,480 from ₹18,000.
