The National Council-Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM), led by Shiv Gopal Mishra, has submitted a comprehensive 51-page memorandum to the 8th Central Pay Commission proposing significant salary revisions and expanded family unit calculations. According to Mint, the current system treats a family as 3 units — employee, spouse and two children, but the NC-JCM demands expansion to 5 units — employee, spouse (no gender discrimination), each child as 0.8 units, and dependent's parents as 0.8 units. This works out to a total of 5.2 units (rounded off to 5 units) to reflect current realities. The proposal comes as part of the 8th CPC's consultation on 'Pay Matters' covering annual increment, basic pay, maximum pay, minimum pay, pay levels, pay matrix, and pay structure.
The NC-JCM has proposed substantial salary increases across all pay scales using the 8th CPC's proposed fitment factor of 3.833. As reported by Mint, the proposed minimum pay structure shows significant increases from the current levels: Pay Scale–1 (Existing Level 1) from ₹18,000-₹56,900 to ₹69,000; Pay Scale–2 (Merged Levels 2 & 3) from ₹21,700-₹69,100 to ₹83,200; Pay Scale–3 (Merged Levels 4 & 5) from ₹29,200-₹92,300 to ₹1,12,000; Pay Scale–4 (Existing Level 6) from ₹35,400-₹1,12,400 to ₹1,35,700; Pay Scale–5 (Merged Levels 7 & 8) from ₹47,600-₹1,51,100 to ₹1,82,500; and Pay Scale–6 (Merged Levels 9 & 10) from ₹56,100-₹1,77,500 to ₹2,15,100. If implemented, minimum pay could increase from ₹18,000 to between ₹50,000-70,000 in-hand pay.
The NC-JCM has made 10 key demands covering salary and promotions, allowances, advances, leave reforms, insurance, compensation, and pension benefits. According to Mint, these include five time-bound promotions in 30 years with ACP/MACP progression, two additional increments and improved fixation benefits on promotion, threefold hike in HRA, CEA, and risk allowance linked with DA revision, restoration of festival and calamity advances, 600 days earned leave encashment, enhanced CGEGIS coverage, ₹2 crore ex-gratia for accidental death in service, and 100% coverage for compassionate appointment with removal of 5% ceiling. The demands are backed by legal provisions like the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act and Social Security Code 2020.
The 8th Central Pay Commission has entered the consultation and discussion stage following the Government of India's constitution of the Commission through a Gazette notification dated 3 November 2025. According to Mint, this is the stage at which the Commission takes views, ideas and opinions from unions, pensioners, central government employees and associated stakeholders before finalizing its recommendations. The Commission is expected to review and analyze the salaries, pensions, allowances, payments and service conditions of central government employees and pensioners. The 8th CPC is not merely a salary revision exercise; it directly influences pension structures, retirement benefits, allowances, pay matrix levels, government expenditure planning, state government pay revisions, and consumer spending across the country. The Commission has completed six months since its constitution on 3 November 2025, with about 12 months left before submitting recommendations and has scheduled important interactions including Delhi meetings on 13-14 May 2026.
The Commission is expected to impact more than 1.1 crore beneficiaries, including approximately 50 lakh government employees and nearly 69 lakh pensioners. As reported by Mint, the expected implementation date is 1 January 2026, following the traditional 10-year pay revision cycle. The government has given the commission 18 months from the date of constitution to submit its report, meaning the commission will submit its report tentatively by May-June 2027. The 8th CPC recommendations are expected to have long-term economic benefits for the Indian economy, potentially boosting demand, which is vital for equity markets and overall economic growth. The Commission has extended the last date for memorandum submissions until 31 May 2026 for employee unions and associations to submit suggestions. The Commission will study and analyze inflation, fiscal burden, pension liabilities, and overall economic sustainability while deciding on its recommendations.
