Meet the judge, professor and IAS officer who will shape salaries of central govt employees
The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the commission, marking the official beginning of the 8th Pay Commission process.
8th Pay Commission: The Union government has formally approved the formation of the 8th Central Pay Commission. The recommendations of the pay panel will benefit about 50 lakh central government employees and 69 lakh pensioners. The Union Cabinet has also approved the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the commission, marking the official beginning of the 8th Pay Commission process.
Who will head the 8th Pay Commission?
Former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai has been appointed as the chairperson of the commission. Professor Pulak Ghosh has been named a part-time member of the Commission, and senior IAS officer Pankaj Jain has been appointed as the Member-Secretary. The panel will make its recommendations within 18 months of the date of its constitution. The panel will submit an interim report to the government. The commission is expected to implement changes from January 1, 2026. It will recommend changes in the salaries and other benefits of central government employees.
Who is Justice Ranjana Desai?
After her retirement in 2014, Justice Desai has held some key nodal positions, most recently being announced as the head of a five-member panel to frame Uniform Civil Code (UCC) guidelines in Gujarat. She also headed the UCC committees in Uttarakhand, the first state since independence to implement UCC.
Justice Desai hails from Mumbai. She completed her BA at Elphinstone College and LLB at Government Law College in Mumbai. Appointed as a judge in the Bombay High Court in 1996, she served in the Supreme Court from September 13, 2011, to October 29, 2014. She has also chaired the Delimitation Commission of India and the Press Council of India.
Who is Professor Pulak Ghosh?
Professor Pulak Ghosh has been named a part-time member of the Commission. He is currently a professor at IIM Bangalore, specialising in technology, data science, artificial intelligence (AI), and their impact on finance, development policy, and social value creation.
Who is senior IAS officer Pankaj Jain?
Pankaj Jain is currently serving as Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. He has been appointed as the Member-Secretary of the Commission. Jain is a 1990-batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre. He holds an MBA and is a qualified Cost Accountant.