New Delhi, July 21 -- The 8th pay commission is in the discussion phase before it releases its official recommendations on pay hikes, allowances, salary structure, and more. Constituted once a decade, it is expected to make significant decisions impacting pay for central government employees and pensioners.

Around 1 crore beneficiaries - nearly 50 lakh central government employees and close to 65 lakh retired central government pensioners, including defence personnel and retirees, will benefit from the recommendations across 18 employee levels.

Chaired by former Supreme Court Justice Ranjana Prakash
Desai, the commission includes Pankaj Jain, a former IAS, as Member-Secretary, and Professor Pulak Ghosh, tenured Professor of Financ...