The implementation of the 8th Pay Commission by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created excitement among central government employees. There is a lot of speculation about how much their salaries will increase once the new pay scale comes into effect. The National Council of Joint Consultative Machinery (JCM) has also proposed a significant salary hike for central government employees. Currently, the main focus is on the fitment factor.
What is the Fitment Factor?
The fitment factor is an important element in determining the salary hike for employees. The JCM has proposed increasing the fitment factor to 2.57, which would be a significant jump compared to the fitment factor of the 7th Pay Commission. If the government agrees to this, the salaries of central government employees will increase substantially.
How Much Will the Fitment Factor Increase?
If the fitment factor is set at 2.57, the salaries of central government employees could increase by about 157%. Currently, the minimum basic salary is Rs 18,000 per month. With the proposed fitment factor, it could rise to Rs 46,260 per month. Similarly, the minimum pension could increase to Rs 23,130 per month.
7th Pay Commission: Big update on fitment factor! Minimum salary of employees will increase from Rs 18,000 to Rs 26,000, details here pic.twitter.com/OiuqeIWuDf
— Kashmir Student Alerts (@TheOfficialKSA) January 5, 2023
When Will the New Pay Commission Start?
If everything goes as planned, the 8th Pay Commission will come into effect from January 1, 2026. This will replace the current pay structure, which was implemented under the 7th Pay Commission in 2016. It is reported that the government is considering a fitment factor of 1.92, which could bring the minimum wage to Rs 34,560 per month. So, the higher fitment factor of 2.57 that employees are requesting might not be implemented.
#7thPayCommission #LiveUpdates | Apart from the DA hike, the Centre is also expected to revise the fitment factor.https://t.co/tDyo1hARpm | #DAHike #CentralGovernmentEmployees #CentralGovtEmp #DA pic.twitter.com/J0t4IDp8bo
— India.com (@indiacom) March 24, 2023
However, if the fitment factor is set to 2.57, the salaries of central government employees will increase by about 157%. Several experts, including former Finance Secretary Subhash Garg, have suggested that a higher fitment factor would put a significant financial burden on the government, making it difficult to implement.
