No official announcement has been made regarding the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission as per the ten-year pattern followed for Central Pay Commissions.

Ahead of the Union Budget 2024 which is set to presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 23, S B Yadav, Secretary General of the Confederation of Central Govt Employees and Workers wrote to the Cabinet Secretary, Government of India, demanding the constitution of the 8th Pay Commission. In the letter, the demand for restoration of Old Pension Scheme (OPS), release of 18-month dearness allowance and relief which was frozen during the Covid-19 pandemic to employees and pensioners was also raised.

Budget 2024: Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is seen. (PTI)

Central Pay Commissions are usually constituted every ten years to review and recommend revisions to salaries, allowances as well as benefits for central government employees by factoring in variables like inflation.

The Seventh Pay Commission was formed by Manmohan Singh on February 28, 2014 and it submitted its report on November 19, 2015. Recommendations came into effect on January 1, 2016.

If the pattern of ten years is followed, the 8th Pay Commission should be implemented from January 1, 2026 but no official announcement has been made so far on this.

Will Union Budget 2024 include the announcement of 8th Pay Commission?

The Confederation of Central Govt Employees and Workers demanded immediate constitution of the 8th Pay Commission, scrapping the New Pension Scheme (NPS, releasing 18-month DA/ DR which was frozen during the Covid-19 pandemic to employees and pensioners, remove the 5 per cent ceiling on the compassionate appointments, grant compassionate appointments to all the wards/ dependents of the deceased employee and fill up vacant posts, among other demands.