Nowadays a news is going viral on social media, in which it is being claimed that Central Government pensioners will neither get the benefit of the Eighth Pay Commission nor there will be any increase in Dearness Allowance (DA). This claim has spread confusion and anxiety among lakhs of pensioners and employees. However, the Central Government has clarified on this matter and said that all such claims are completely false and misleading. The government has clarified that the benefits of pensioners under the Finance Act 2025 have not been withdrawn, nor have any benefits related to the Eighth Pay Commission or DA been stopped.
Will retirement benefits end?
The government has also said that the changes made in pension rules are not intended to affect common pensioners. These changes apply only to certain special and exceptional cases. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has fact-checked these claims circulating on social media and has clarified that the Central Government has not made any new policy under which the retirement benefits of the employees should be stopped after their retirement.
PIB’s fact-checking unit, in a post on social media platform ‘X’, said that the message circulating on WhatsApp and other messaging apps is completely fake and has nothing to do with the truth. According to PIB, the amendment made in CCS (Pension) Rules 2021 is related to Rule 37 (29C). Under this amended provision, action can be taken only against those retired employees of PSU (Public Sector Undertaking) who have been removed from service due to serious misconduct or wrongdoing. The provision of stopping retirement benefits is applicable only in such cases.
What are the changes?
This has nothing to do with the regular employees or pensioners who have completed their service honestly. Despite this, this rule is being misinterpreted on social media and is being said to be applicable to all pensioners, which is completely misleading. It is worth noting that the formation of the Eighth Pay Commission was announced recently. Although it took some time to form the formal committee, its terms of reference were approved in the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month. The commission has been given 18 months to submit its recommendations to the government.
It is expected that the Eighth Pay Commission will directly benefit more than 50 lakh central government employees and about 69 lakh pensioners. In this way, the government has given a clear message that pension and salary related benefits are completely safe and there is no need to believe the rumors spreading on social media.
