Eighth Central Pay Commission reviews DA, government denies DA merge

Business Oct 24, 2026

The Eighth Central Pay Commission (CPC) is reviewing how government salaries keep up with inflation, especially through the dearness allowance (DA).

While employee unions are pushing to merge DA with basic pay for bigger salary bumps, the government says that's not happening right now.

Currently, DA is about 60% of basic pay and gets updated twice a year.

Unions seek ₹69,000 monthly minimum

Unions are also asking for significant raises, like a proposed minimum monthly salary of ₹69,000.

The CPC, led by former Supreme Court justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, plans to finish its review and share recommendations by May next year.

Any changes could affect over one crore central government employees and pensioners across various sectors.