8th Pay Commission: Work is going on rapidly towards the formal formation of the 8th Pay Commission. This commission will decide which old allowances will be removed and which new allowances will be added. 101 allowances were removed in the 7th Pay Commission. Will it happen this time too?
8th Pay Commission: Work is going on rapidly towards the formal formation of the 8th Pay Commission. This commission will decide which old allowances will be removed and which new allowances will be added. 101 allowances were removed in the 7th Pay Commission. Will it happen this time too? Under the Pay Commission, not only will the salaries of the employees be increased, but different allowances will also be reviewed. This commission will decide which old allowances will be removed and which new allowances will be added.
7th Pay Commission Decisions and Salary Hike
The 7th Pay Commission (7th CPC) recommended increasing the salary of central government employees by a fitment factor of 2.57, making the minimum salary Rs 18,000 and the maximum salary Rs 2,25,000. This commission reviewed a total of 196 allowances, out of which only 95 allowances were approved. Whereas, 101 allowances were either abolished or merged with some other allowance.
Some major allowances removed in the 7th Pay Commission
The 7th Pay Commission abolished many allowances. Below is the list of those allowances.
- Accident Allowance – Not included in the report.
- Acting Allowance – Abolished, now included under Additional Post Allowance.
- Air Dispatch Pay – Abolished.
- Coal Pilot Allowance – Abolished.
- Family Planning Allowance – Abolished.
- Overtime Allowance (OTA) – Abolished.
- Cycle Allowance – Abolished.
- Clothing Allowance – Added to Dress Allowance.
- Special Scientist Pay – Abolished.
- Sandurban Allowance – Added to Tough Location Allowance-III.
Many other such allowances were either abolished or included in some other allowance.
What to expect from the 8th Pay Commission?
The terms of the 8th Pay Commission are likely to be finalized by April 2025. After this the government will select the members and chairman of the Pay Commission. The new Pay Commission may take about a year to prepare its report after consulting various stakeholders. The stakeholders will also include representatives of central government employees.
It is estimated that under the 8th Pay Commission, the salary of employees may increase on the basis of a fitment factor of 3.00, which can take the minimum salary to Rs 26,000. However, the final decision will depend on the recommendations of the commission and the approval of the government.
Possible announcements related to the 8th Pay Commission
- Introduction of new allowances – New allowances can be added according to the changing needs of the employees.
- Old allowances will be abolished – Many old allowances can be removed, as was done in the 7th Pay Commission.
- Increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) – The rate of dearness allowance may increase.
- Relief to pensioners – New rules may also come for pensioners, which will increase their pension.
The process of formation of the 8th Pay Commission is progressing rapidly, and its implementation will benefit crores of government employees and pensioners. If the recommendations of salary hike in the 8th Pay Commission are implemented, then it will be a relief news for the employees. Now all eyes are fixed on when the government will make a formal announcement and when the recommendations of this pay commission will be implemented.
