The Indian Railways Technical Supervisors' Association (IRTSA) has submitted comprehensive demands to the 8th Central Pay Commission, proposing significant salary increases across all employee levels. The association has demanded a minimum pay increase to ₹52,600 and fitment factors of 2.92, 3.50, and 3.80 across different pay levels. According to Mint, IRTSA has proposed a fitment factor of 2.92 for level 1 posts, 3.50 for posts at level 6, 7 and 8, and 3.80 for mid-position posts in pay levels 9 to 12. Under the proposed structure, Level 1 employees would see their basic salary increase from ₹18,000 to ₹52,560, while Level 6 employees could see their salaries rise from ₹35,400 to ₹1,23,920. The association has also demanded a comprehensive review of allowances and better pay levels for Railway employees and pensioners, with their suggestions expected to play an important role in shaping the panel's decisions.
A significant proposal to increase the gratuity limit from the current ₹25 lakh to ₹75 lakh is gaining attention as employee unions and pensioner organisations argue that the existing gratuity framework needs urgent recalibration. The National Council-Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM) has proposed tripling the gratuity ceiling from ₹25 lakh to ₹75 lakh, along with using a 25-working-day month instead of a 30-calendar-day month, calculating gratuity at one-half month's basic pay plus DA for every completed six-month period of service, and completely eliminating the current 16.5 times emoluments cap. The Indian Railway Technical Supervisors' Association (IRTSA) has proposed increasing the gratuity ceiling to ₹50 lakh, revising the accrual rate to one-third of basic pay plus DA for each six-month service period, and allowing employees with 33 years or more of service to receive gratuity up to 32 times their basic pay and DA. The Retired and Senior Citizens Welfare Society (RSCWS) has adopted a systemic approach, emphasizing establishing a mechanism for periodic revision of the gratuity ceiling and ensuring parity among retirees covered under Old Pension Scheme (OPS), National Pension System (NPS) and Unified Pension Scheme (UPS).
Rising living and housing costs have intensified calls for major reforms to the 8th Pay Commission HRA structure, with employee unions proposing higher HRA rates, DA-linked revisions and regular city reviews to ensure central government employees and pensioners receive better support against inflation. The National Council-Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM) Staff Side has suggested several vital changes to better align HRA with current housing realities. Key HRA reforms proposed include HRA linked to actual rent, revised rates as per population (40% for X-class cities, 35% for Y-class cities, and 30% for Z-class cities), DA-indexed HRA for automatic inflation adjustment, city review and classification every 5 years, and HRA for pensioners. Employee representatives emphasize that housing costs and day-to-day inflation have increased rapidly over the past few years, with HRA revisions failing to keep pace with inflation. The Railway Senior Citizens Welfare Society has also come out in support of regular reviews of HRA and other allowances, citing rapidly rising living costs and inflation in urban centres.
Chaired by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai with members Pankaj Jain and Pulak Ghosh, the 8th Pay Commission will decide on salary and pension hikes of central government employees and pensioners, with recommendations expected next year following stakeholder consultations. As per Mint, the 8th CPC is expected to announce its final recommendations by mid-2027, with the commission having closed submission of suggestions on June 15, 2026. Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, born on October 30, 1949, served as Judge of the Supreme Court of India from September 13, 2011, to her retirement in 2017. She has held various key positions including Chairperson of the Press Council of India (2022-2025) and Delimitation Commission of India (2020-2022). Member-Secretary Pankaj Jain is a senior IAS officer with over 35 years of experience, having served as Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Additional Secretary in the Department of Financial Services. Part-time member Pulak Ghosh is a tenured Professor of Finance at IIM Bangalore and Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, with extensive policy experience including roles at NITI Aayog and SEBI.
The 8th Pay Commission's regional consultation exercise is set to continue with three key stakeholder meetings, including sessions in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on June 22–23, Bhubaneswar, Odisha on July 6–7, 2026, and Kolkata, West Bengal on July 9–10, 2026. As reported by Zee News, the Commission, formally constituted by the Centre on November 3, 2025, has completed the memorandum submission phase on June 15, 2026 and has about 10 months remaining to finalise proposals. The Commission, which began operations after the government approved its terms of reference in October 2025, has already held consultations in Delhi, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Hyderabad, Telangana and Maharashtra, and conducted its first interaction with employee associations in Uttarakhand. The upcoming consultations in Lucknow, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata are expected to play a key role in shaping the Commission's recommendations, with employee unions, federations and government departments presenting their cases during these meetings.
The fitment factor—the multiplier applied to adjust existing basic pay into the new pay matrix—remains a major point of contention, with employee unions now proposing a fitment factor between 3 and 4, significantly higher than the 2.57 factor adopted under the 7th Pay Commission. Central employee unions and associations focused their memoranda submissions for a higher fitment factor, a substantial increase in the minimum basic pay, multiple reports said. The current fitment factor stands at 2.57 under the 7th Pay Commission, while employee organisations have demanded that it be increased to 3.83. If the demands are accepted, around 5.5 million central government employees and nearly 6.9 million pensioners could see substantial benefits. The fitment factor formula is: New Basic Pay = Current Basic Pay × Fitment Factor, with any revision directly affecting salaries, pensions and related arrears. Based on various fitment factor scenarios, the minimum basic salary of ₹18,000 could rise as follows: Fitment Factor 3.0: ₹54,000, Fitment Factor 3.5: ₹63,000, and Fitment Factor 3.83: ₹68,940. For an employee with current basic pay of ₹44,900, revised salaries under different fitment factor scenarios would be Fitment Factor 3.0: ₹1,34,700, Fitment Factor 3.5: ₹1,57,150, and Fitment Factor 3.83: ₹1,71,967.
As reported by Mint, the last date for data submission was June 15, 2026, representing a significant deadline for stakeholders. The commission has already closed the submission of suggestions and memorandum on June 15, 2026, marking the second deadline extension since the process began on March 5, 2025, following earlier deadlines on April 30 and May 31, 2025. The 8th CPC is expected to submit its final recommendations around 18 months after constitution on November 3, 2025, with February 2027 being the earliest possible timeline. With the submission window closed, the commission enters an analytical phase to evaluate proposals from employee bodies, pensioner groups, and ministries, proceeding with regional consultations including upcoming meetings in Kolkata where central unions and institutions will present their cases. The commission's decisions will significantly impact nearly 50 lakh central government employees, including defence personnel, and around 65 lakh retired central government pensioners, including defence retirees. Based on past trends, once the pay commission's recommendations are made, the rollout takes another 2 to 3 years to complete, meaning hikes announced in 2027 may only be fully implemented by 2029 or 2030.
