NEW DELHI: The Centre, while notifying the Terms of Reference for the 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC), indicated that it did not intend to go back to unfunded and non-contributory pension.
The notification comes amid the ongoing protest and agitation by a large section of central government employees, who were recruited since 2004, demanding the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) instead of the two later versions – the NPS and the UPS, which are contributory in nature.
A comparative review of the Terms of Reference for the 8th CPC and the 7th CPC reveals that there is only one difference: the government, in the latest version, has inserted an element suggesting that the pay panel should also keep in view the impact of “unfunded cost of non-contributory pension scheme” while finalising its recommendations to the government.
While finalising the Terms of Reference for the 7th CPC, led by Justice Ashok Kumar Mathur, the government had asked the pay panel to examine, review, evolve and recommend changes that are desirable and feasible regarding the principles that should govern the emoluments structure including salary, allowances and other facilities/benefits, in cash or kind, having regard to rationalisation and simplification therein as well as the specialised needs of various departments, agencies and services, in respect to the six counts.