8th Pay Commission : Since the release of the 8th Central Pay Commission’s Terms of Reference, many concerns have arisen among central employees and pensioners. Meanwhile, some misleading messages went viral on social media, claiming that the government has eliminated several key benefits for retired employees. These messages claimed things like DA hikes, pension revisions, and the lack of future 8th Pay Commission benefits, causing unnecessary anxiety for millions of pensioners.
Know the detail
The viral message claimed that under the Finance Act 2025, the central government had abolished DA hikes and Pay Commission-related benefits for pensioners. Furthermore, it claimed that pensioners would not receive any future benefits under the 8th Pay Commission. However, the government’s fact-checking agency, PIB Fact Check, has completely dismissed these claims, stating that these reports are completely false and misleading.
You will continue to get the same benefits as before
According to the PIB Fact Check, central pensioners will continue to receive all the benefits they previously received. This includes future pension revisions based on the recommendations of the Pay Commission and an increase in DR (Dearness Relief) in January and July each year to provide relief from inflation. The government has urged people to rely only on official sources for information related to pensions and retirement, and to avoid rumors on social media.
What are the rules?
In fact, this confusion arose due to a limited amendment to the CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021. The PIB stated that the change in Rule 37 applies only to employees who have been dismissed from service due to serious misconduct after adjustment in a PSU. It has nothing to do with ordinary pensioners.
The government has also clarified in Parliament that pensions will fall under the purview of the 8th Pay Commission. However, there is currently no proposal to merge DA-DR into basic pay, and a decision on this may be taken after the 8th Pay Commission report is released, approximately in 2027.