8th Pay Commission Kolkata meeting begins today: What Central government employees and pensioners can expect
The 8th Pay Commission begins its two-day stakeholder consultations in Kolkata today. These meetings and consultations will run for two days and conclude on 10 July. It is a crucial step in the government’s push to collect feedback, ideas and views before making a final decision on recommendations regarding salaries, allowances, and pensions for serving employees and pensioners.
These Kolkata consultations follow the 8th Pay Commission’s consultations in Bhubaneswar on 6-7 July, where it interacted with associations, employee unions, pensioners and other stakeholders. Furthermore, similar consultative meetings have already been held in Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Srinagar and Ladakh.
The meeting is likely to discuss common employee grievances and aspirations and will eventually pave the way for the 8th Pay Commission’s final report.
This report will impact the lives of serving central government staff and pensioners and will determine how their salaries are revised.
Key issues likely to dominate Kolkata consultations
The participating employee unions and stakeholders may highlight several long-pending demands in the meetings starting today. Among the most critical is the demand for a higher fitment factor revision, with most unions seeking a multiplier between 2.86 and 3.8, compared with 2.57 under the 7th Pay Commission.
Recently, the Bharatiya Pratiraksha Mazdoor Sangh (BPMS) proposed a 4x fitment factor, resulting in a minimum basic salary of ₹72,000.
Similarly, the National Council (JCM) Staff Side (NCJCM) proposed a fitment factor of 3.833 in their proposals.
Along similar lines, participating unions will put forth their views on the fitment factor. This metric is an important factor as it determines the revised basic pay.
The unions are therefore expected to seek an increase in the minimum basic pay. Currently, this figure is ₹18,000.
Another important demand from the unions is the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). Even after the central government introduced the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), several employee unions continued to push for the return of the OPS.
Other changes likely to be discussed include House Rent Allowance (HRA) and its classification for cities in West Bengal and the Northeast, Dearness Relief parity, better medical facilities for pensioners and major changes to the Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) scheme.
What employees can expect from the meetings
|
Issue |
Expected discussion during the Kolkata meeting |
|---|---|
| Fitment factor | Demand for a better and enhanced fitment factor. Primarily a figure in the range of 2.86-3.833, to boost salaries. |
| Minimum basic pay | Proposal to raise from ₹18,000 to a higher number, depending on the fitment factor decision, the minimum basic pay can go as high as ₹72,000 or more. |
| Pension | Continued demand for restoration of OPS alongside concerns over UPS. |
| HRA | Reclassification of select cities in West Bengal and the Northeast. |
| Other issues | DR parity, medical reimbursement, improvement in allowances and MACP reforms |
The Commission had invited stakeholders attending the Kolkata consultations to submit memoranda through its official portal and generate a unique Memo ID before seeking appointments. The deadline for submitting memoranda was extended to 15 June, as per a notification on the 8th Pay Commission’s website dated 29 June.
The 8th Pay Commission was introduced by the Central Government in January 2025 and constituted on 3 November 2025. It was given an 18-month deadline to submit its recommendations.
As per its Terms of Reference, the Commission will assess the country’s economic conditions, economic realities, fiscal sustainability, government finances, pension liabilities, pay structures in Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs), private-sector compensation and broader service conditions before finalising its report.
The Kolkata consultations are therefore not expected to produce immediate decisions on pay hikes. Instead, they represent another crucial stage in the Commission’s nationwide stakeholder outreach, with the feedback expected to influence its final recommendations, which will eventually determine the future pay, allowances and pension structure for lakhs of central government employees and pensioners.
For more details, recent updates and developments related to the 8th Pay Commission, visit: https://8cpc.gov.in/
