New Delhi, November 7: The All India Defence Employees’ Federation (AIDEF) has expressed concern over the government’s omission of the “date of effect” for the 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC) in the recently notified Terms of Reference (ToR). In a letter addressed to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the federation said that unlike the 7th CPC, which had clearly mentioned the date of implementation — January 1, 2016 — the latest ToR is silent on when the new pay panel’s recommendations will come into effect.

The AIDEF fears this could indicate a shift from the long-standing practice of implementing pay commission recommendations every ten years. It noted that the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th Pay Commissions were all implemented on January 1 of 1986, 1996, 2006, and 2016, respectively - maintaining a precise decade-long cycle. “This gives an impression that the government may unilaterally decide the date of implementation of the 8th CPC recommendations,” the federation warned. 8th Pay Commission: How the Fitment Factor Will Decide New Salary and Pension for Central Government Employees and Pensioners.

The body argued that this omission creates uncertainty and anxiety among government employees and pensioners, who have always expected wage and pension revisions on a ten-year cycle. AIDEF urged the Finance Ministry to amend the ToR and explicitly mention January 1, 2026, as the effective date for implementing the 8th Pay Commission’s recommendations, maintaining the established pattern. 8th Pay Commission: How Pension Hike Will Be Calculated for Retired Central Government Employees and What Factors Will Decide the Final Increase.

Further, the federation said that the 8th CPC ToR differs significantly from that of its predecessor, with key provisions related to employee expectations and emolument revision missing. It has demanded that the ToR be redrafted to align with the framework followed for the 7th Pay Commission to avoid confusion among stakeholders.

Last week, the government announced the formation of the 8th Pay Commission with Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai as its chairperson. The panel, which will review the pay structure of central government employees and pensioners, is expected to submit its report within 18 months. However, the absence of a clear implementation date has now sparked debate over whether the Centre intends to deviate from the traditional pay revision timeline.

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