The 8th Pay Commission started its two-day stakeholder consultation in Kolkata on July 9, 2026, as part of its nationwide outreach before finalising recommendations on salaries, allowances and pensions for central government employees and pensioners.
The Kolkata consultations, scheduled for July 9-10, follow similar meetings held in Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Srinagar, Ladakh, and Bhubaneswar (July 6-7). During these interactions, the Commission is gathering feedback from employee associations, pensioners, staff unions and other stakeholders.
The two-day consultation is expected to cover several key issues raised by employee unions and pensioner associations before the Commission prepares its final recommendations.
Employee unions are expected to seek a higher fitment factor than the 2.57 multiplier recommended under the 7th Pay Commission.
Other participating unions are also expected to present their own recommendations during consultations.
The fitment factor directly determines the revised minimum basic pay for central government employees.
Currently, the minimum basic salary under the 7th Pay Commission stands at ₹18,000. Depending on the fitment factor eventually recommended by the Commission, employee unions are seeking a substantial increase in this amount.
Apart from salary revision, stakeholders are expected to discuss several other service-related issues, including:
Restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) despite the introduction of the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS).
Reclassification of House Rent Allowance (HRA) for select cities in West Bengal and the Northeast.
Dearness Relief (DR) parity for pensioners.
Better medical facilities and reimbursement for pensioners.
Improvements to the Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) scheme.
Review of various allowances.
The 8th Pay Commission invited employee organisations, pensioners, and other stakeholders to submit their memoranda through its official portal before attending the consultations.
Applicants were required to generate a unique Memo ID while submitting their representations. The Commission had earlier extended the deadline for memorandum submissions to June 15, 2026, through a notification dated June 29.
The Central Government announced the 8th Pay Commission in January 2025 and formally constituted it on November 3, 2025. The Commission has been given 18 months to submit its recommendations.
As per its Terms of Reference, the Commission will examine:
India's economic conditions and fiscal sustainability.
Government finances and pension liabilities.
Existing pay structures.
Compensation trends in Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs).
Private sector salary benchmarks.
Overall service conditions for central government employees.
The Kolkata consultation represents another important stage in the 8th Pay Commission's nationwide stakeholder engagement exercise. While no immediate decisions on salary revisions or pensions are expected, the feedback received during these meetings will help shape the Commission's final recommendations on pay, allowances and pension benefits for central government employees and pensioners.
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Published on: Jul 9, 2026, 1:16 PM IST
Rakesh Deshmukh
Rakesh Deshmukh is a financial content specialist with around 3 years of experience writing impactful content across equities, mutual funds, IPOs, and personal finance. At Angel One, he decodes real-time market trends and breaking news, helping investors and traders stay updated. He also helps investors make informed decisions by simplifying market fundamentals and technical analysis. He holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce.
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