Overview
- The Finance Ministry’s November 3 notification constituted a three‑member 8th Central Pay Commission chaired by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, with Prof. Pulak Ghosh as part‑time member and Pankaj Jain as member‑secretary in New Delhi.
- The Terms of Reference extend beyond pay and pensions to cover allowances, bonuses, gratuity and performance‑linked incentives, with benchmarking against PSU and private‑sector pay structures.
- The commission has 18 months to submit recommendations, may issue interim reports, can set its own procedures and is empowered to appoint advisors and experts.
- The All India Defence Employees’ Federation has asked the government to specify 01.01.2026 as the date of effect and to redraft parts of the ToR that it says create uncertainty.
- Early research from private analysts sketches fitment‑factor scenarios of roughly 1.8–2.46, though any reset of Dearness Allowance and allowance restructuring will determine real take‑home gains.