8th Pay Commission BIG UPDATE: This state becomes first to set up 8th Pay, will pay hike come before Centre?

8th Pay Commission BIG UPDATE: Assam has emerged as the first state to constitute the 8th Pay Commission.

8th Pay Commission BIG UPDATE: Assam has become the first state to set up the 8th Pay Commission, following the Central Government’s decision to institute the new pay panel. By establishing the new pay commission, the northeastern state will revise the salaries and pensions for around 7 lakh employees. Informing about the decision on January 1, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the name of the chairman who will head the commission. The state government has decided that Additional Chief Secretary Subhas Das will head the panel.

It is to be noted that the Centre has already set up its panel and given the responsibility of the panel to Justice Ranjana Desai. The three-member panel is going to submit its report within 18 months.

When Will Assam Submit Its Recommendation?

As per reports, the northeastern state is expected to submit its recommendations within 18 months. The panel will make its recommendations on restructuring pay, pension, allowances and service conditions focussing on state government employees working in different government offices and pensioners.

Will Assam State Govt Employees Get Their Salaries Before The Central Staff?

Notably, the central government announced the formation of the  8th Pay Commission in January last year, taking 10 months to finalise Terms of Reference (ToR). But if we talk about Assam, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma not only announced the setting up of the commission, but he also promptly appointed the chairman of the panel who will look after the 18-month-long pay revision.

Even after Assam’s quick decision, it is expected that the northeastern state will implement the recommendations before the Centre.

7th Pay Commission

It is worth noting that the 7th Pay Commission term ended on 31st December, 2025, as the pay panels have a serving term of 10 years.

The 7th pay panel submitted its recommendations and got effective from April 1, 2017. The reference date for calculating pay and pension was January 1, 2016. It was the same date that was for the central government employees.

As per earlier precedents,the  Centre usually constitutes the pay commission first, which is followed by other states that have implemented it.

There is always a gap between the implementation dates of the Centre’s pay commission and the states. It is the reason why some states are still dispersing government employees’ andpensioners’s salaries as per the 6th Pay Commission because they have yet to implement the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission.