THE STALLED 8TH CPC

Above all, pensioners must be protected from any discriminatory treatment, for they have already given the best years of their lives to the service of the nation

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When millions of government employees and pensioners anxiously wait for justice in their pay and pension revision, the silence of the government reverberates louder than any official statement.

Inflation is burning through household savings, medical costs are skyrocketing, and living with dignity is becoming a daily struggle for pensioners. Yet, while the elected people’s representatives revise their own salaries and allowances without delay or hesitation, the workforce that keeps the administrative machinery of this nation alive is forced to wait indefinitely. The delay in the constitution of the Eighth Central Pay Commission (8th CPC) is not just bureaucratic lethargy—it is a betrayal of trust.

On 3 December 2024, the government officially informed the Rajya Sabha that there was “no proposal” to constitute the 8th CPC. But within six weeks, in a press briefing after the Cabinet meeting held on 16 January 2025, it was proudly declared that the Prime Minister has approved its constitution. Letters were issued, suggestions were sought from the Staff Side of the National Council (JCM), and meetings were conducted in February to finalise the Terms of Reference. Yet, seven long months have passed, and no tangible action has emerged.