8th pay commission
8th Pay Commission: These days, only one discussion is the hottest in the corridors of central employees and pensioners… 8th Pay Commission. Be it while sipping tea or during the lunch break in the office, there is only one question on everyone’s lips that when will they get the gift of increased salary? All the speculations going on on social media have further increased this curiosity. Someone is claiming that increased money will start coming into the bank account from January itself, while someone is scared of the rumors of dearness allowance (DA) being discontinued. Amidst all this speculation and social media noise, it has become difficult for an average employee to differentiate between truth and lie. To solve this confusion of yours and explain in detail every small and big update related to the 8th Pay Commission, we are completely clarifying the situation here.
Is good news really coming next month?
According to reports and experts, if the government 8th pay commission If the government accepts the recommendations, then technically the new salary structure can be implemented from January 1, 2026. But, there is a catch here which is important to understand. Implementation does not mean that the money will be credited to your account on the same date.
The Pay Commission takes approximately 18 months to prepare its detailed report, remove discrepancies and submit the final draft. After the arrival of this report, the government approves it from the cabinet. This simply means that the employees will have to have some patience. The rule of increased salary will be implemented from January 2026, but cash payment will start only after the process is completed and the report is accepted. However, the good thing is that in return for this delay, you will get a lump sum amount in the form of arrears.
Fear of closure of dearness allowance and HRA
A fear is being spread on social media that as soon as the new Pay Commission comes, Dearness Allowance (DA) and House Rent Allowance (HRA) will be stopped or DA will be merged into the basic salary. The government has put a complete stop to these discussions. It is clear from the government’s stand that there is no proposal to stop the allowances nor is there any such plan.
The system of Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) for pensioners will continue as before. The fear of any kind of cut or change in this is baseless. These allowances will be revised every six months on the basis of All India Consumer Price Index (AICPI-IW). That is, as inflation increases, the relief component in your salary and pension will also increase in the same proportion.
Salary jump up to 34%
Now let’s talk about the issue which is most comforting, after all, by how much will the salary increase? ‘Fitment Factor’ plays the most important role in the recommendations of the Pay Commission. During the Seventh Pay Commission, this factor was kept at 2.57, on the basis of which the basic salary was decided. According to the news coming now, the fitment factor in the 8th Pay Commission can be increased to 2.86 or more.
If this estimate proves correct, then there will be a huge jump in the basic salary of the employees. Looking at the past trends and current economic conditions, it is believed that the income of about 50 lakh central employees and 65 lakh pensioners of the country may increase by 30% to 34%. On top of this, when DA and DR are added to the new basic salary, the increase in total salary will prove helpful in improving your lifestyle.