Govt Forms 8th Pay Panel to Review Salaries of 50 Lakh Employees

SRINAGAR: The Government of India has formally constituted the Eighth Central Pay Commission (8th CPC), appointing former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai as its chairperson, with IIM Bangalore Professor Pulak Ghosh and Petroleum Secretary Pankaj Jain as members.

The commission’s mandate, announced by the Union Cabinet and confirmed via notification from the Ministry of Finance, is to review and recommend fresh salary, pension, and allowance structures for approximately 50 lakh central government employees and nearly 69 lakh pensioners nationwide.

According to Business Today, the commission is tasked with introducing rational, efficient, and performance-linked pay frameworks, promoting fiscal prudence and better alignment with private sector benchmarks.

The panel will also examine working conditions and emoluments for industrial, non-industrial, and defence personnel, plus suggest modifications for central public sector enterprises. The panel has 18 months to submit its recommendations, with the revised pay scales expected to take effect retrospectively from January 1, 2026.

Justice Desai, the first woman to head such a commission, brings legal and administrative expertise to the exercise, which is seen as a crucial update for central staff.