8th pay commission: Stakeholder meetings underway — Here are the key dates and FAQs answered

The 8th central pay commission (CPC) is in its consultation stage and has scheduled meetings in Bengaluru and Mumbai this month to hold discussions with employee unions, representatives, groups, pensioner associations, federations, and other stakeholders, before releasing its official recommendations.

Former Supreme Court Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai is the Chairperson, with Pankaj Jain, a former IAS officer as Member-Secretary, and Professor Pulak Ghosh, a tenured Professor of Finance and Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister as Member of the Commission.

Overall, the recommendations are set to benefit over 1 crore individuals, including about 50 lakh central government employees and close to 65 lakh pensioners, including personnel and retirees with the defence and railway ministries.

8th CPC: Important dates, key FAQs explained

• What is a pay commission?

Established by the central government every 10 years to revise the allowances, pay and pensions of its employees, the pay commission or CPC, is responsible for decisions on contributions, retirement benefits and government spending.

All central government employees and retired former servicemen are impacted by the revisions. The current panel is the Centre's eight since Independence. It was constituted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year and issued its Terms of Reference (ToR) in November.

• Are 8th CPC's recommendations applicable to state government and bank employees?