Govt to set up 8th pay commission for staff

What the 7th commission had suggested

- Rajeev Jayaswal

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the constitution of the Eighth Central Pay Commission to recommend salary revisions for around five million central government employees and 6.5 million pensioners, including defence persons, the Union government announced on Thursday.

The economically and politically significant decision is likely to brighten the prospects of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a string of upcoming assembly elections, including in Delhi, as central pay revisions shape the salaries and emoluments of the state's employees.

"Honourable Prime Minister has given approval for constitution of a central pay commission for all central government employees," information and broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a briefing. "The government will soon appoint its chairman and two members," he added.

The panel is constituted so that its suggestions are received well in time before the 10-year period of the seventh commission ends in 2026, and the government gets sufficient time for implementing its recommendations, he said.

Modi welcomed the move and in a post on X said: "We are all proud of the efforts of all Government employees, who work to build a Viksit Bharat.

The Cabinet's decision on the 8th Pay Commission will improve quality of life and give a boost to consumption," Modi posted on X.