Rs 65K minimum pay, 3.8 fitment factor for 8th Pay Commission: What Maharashtra pension body demands

The Maharashtra pension body has placed several major demands before the 8th Pay Commission, seeking higher salaries, better pension benefits, and stronger protection against inflation for government employees and pensioners. From raising the minimum basic pay to Rs 65,000 to demanding a higher fitment factor and bigger annual increments, the proposal aims to improve the financial security of employees amid rising living costs. Here’s a look at the key demands raised by the Maharashtra pension body.

One of the key demands raised is a sharp increase in the minimum wage, from the current entry-level basic pay of Rs 18,000 to Rs 65,000.

The old pension body says it has recommended the minimum pay based on the Aykroyd formula and a realistic family unit.

The Maharashtra pension body says there is also a demand to increase the fitment factor to 3.8, up from 2.57 under the 7th Pay Commission.

The Maharashtra pension body says the fitment factor of 3.8 should be adopted to ensure a meaningful wage revision while maintaining fiscal balance.

The Maharashtra pension body says the current DA system does not guarantee a minimum increase and often lags behind actual inflation.

It has asked for a minimum 4% increase in each DA revision, and to automatically merge DA with basic pay at 50%.

One of the key demands raised by the Maharashtra pension body is to increase the annual increment of employees from 3% to 5%. It also said that the revised basic pay should be rounded off to the next Rs 1,000.

The Maharashtra pension body has also demanded to end the linkage of HRA with DA and to increase the current HRA rates of 10%, 20% and 30% to 12%, 24%, 36% for X, Y and Z category cities, respectively.

Another key demand raised by the Maharashtra pension body is a significant hike in TA. It has proposed increasing TA by 2.5 times, arguing that current rates are no longer adequate given the rise in transportation costs and overall inflation.