New Delhi, Aug. 25 -- The 7th Pay Commission used a 2.57 fitment factor, but an employee body representative says a 2.1 factor under the 8th CPC could still deliver a larger effective increase once existing dearness allowance is taken into account.

Central government employees tracking the 8th Pay Commission may naturally compare any proposed fitment factor with the 2.57 multiplier used under the 7th Pay Commission. But according to a latest calculation by Manjeet Singh Patel, president of the All India NPS Employees Federation, that comparison can be misleading.

Patel's argument is that the fitment factor should not be viewed in isolation. Employees are already receiving dearness allowance (DA) on their existing basic pay, so the more ...