The eighth Central Pay Commission (CPC) came into effect on January 1, 2026, but more than 10 million central government employees and pensioners will continue to work under the seventh panel framework until the new framework is approved and notified. The Center approved the commission’s scope of work (TOR) in October, and the panel is expected to take about 18 months to submit its recommendations, which means changes to salaries and allowances could take some time.
DA may be announced in March
The Labor and Employment Ministry kept the All India Industrial Workers Consumer Price Index (AICPI-IW) unchanged at 148.2 for December. Since this index is the basis for calculating Dearness Allowance (DA), DA for employees and pensioners may increase by 5 percentage points to 63%, which will provide short-term relief from inflation. The Center is expected to announce this in March. According to Manjeet Singh Patel, President of All India NPS Employees Union, the Central Government can announce DA with the festival of Holi in the beginning of March. Employees are expected to get increased Dearness Allowance (DA) along with April salary, which will also include arrears due from January 2026. Under this twice-a-year cycle, the DA was scheduled to be revised in January. In July, the allowance was increased from 54% to 58%.
Employee organizations will meet on 25th February
The office of the Eighth Pay Commission has come up in New Delhi, and senior central government employees and members of pensioners’ organizations will meet in the national capital on February 25 to discuss the proposals for the new pay commission. According to a letter written to the members of the drafting committee of the National Council (Staff Side) of the Joint Consultative Committee (NC-JCM), a memorandum on common service matters may be prepared. Representatives of Railways, Defence, Post, Income Tax and other departments will discuss pay revision, minimum wage, allowances and service conditions etc. After preparing a common draft, the NC-JCM will submit its proposal to the Eighth Pay Commission, which will seek suggestions from all stakeholders before finalizing the recommendations.
Official website launched
The government has recently launched the 8th CPC website www.8cpc.gov.in, which will act as a central hub for information, documentation and public participation. This website will provide information about the Commission’s TOR, structure, questionnaire and an online data portal to collect structured responses. Designed for government ministries, departments, employees, pensioners and other stakeholders, the website will allow participants to provide feedback and suggestions that will inform the recommendations of the 8th CPC on salaries, allowances, pensions and service conditions.
Employee demands
All India NPS Employee Federation has started a week-long nationwide program with representatives of about 400 districts, in which important demands related to service and salary of government employees have been raised. The federation has demanded that the panel submit its report within 200 days. It also demanded uniform and consistent application of central government regulations across union territories. It also demanded that the basic salary and dearness allowance (DA) of state government employees be changed to that of central government employees. The Federation has sent a letter to the Prime Minister’s Office stating these demands.
