Millions of Central government employees and pensioners are eagerly anticipating the upcoming meeting of the drafting committee of the National Council (Joint Consultative Machinery) on April 13. This meeting, to be held at the JP Choubey Memorial Library in New Delhi, will focus on the 8th Pay Commission salary revision. The agenda includes reviewing a final common memorandum and discussing pay scale revisions, annual increments, allowances, and other benefits, as reported by NDTV Profit.
The drafting committee meeting on April 13 follows a previous meeting on March 12, 2026, where all members discussed the common memorandum of employee and pensioner bodies. According to NC-JCM secretary Shiv Gopal Mishra, the government has not yet announced the official date for the salary increase. Arrears will be calculated based on the implementation date of the 8th Pay Commission, with some groups advocating for arrears to be calculated from January 1, 2026.
Employee and pensioner groups, including the Federation of National Postal Organisations, are urging the government to merge the 58% dearness allowance with basic pay and provide interim relief from the same date. The salary increase will depend on the fitment factor chosen by the government, with expectations that it will exceed 2.5. While some groups are pushing for a fitment factor of 3.15, the official decision may take more than a year, as per the report.
In March, Pankaj Chaudhary, MoS Finance, informed Parliament that the 8th Pay Commission will soon make recommendations on pay, allowances, pensions, and other benefits for central government employees. The Commission aims to complete its work within 18 months from November 2025.
