The Tripura government has moved closer to setting up an Eighth Pay Commission for state employees, with Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy telling the Assembly that the broad framework has been finalised and the selection of the chairperson and members is under consideration.
Key Takeaways:
- Tripura Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy said the Eighth Pay Commission formation process is at the final stage.
- Pay disparity, the fitment factor, DA gap and pension concerns will be placed before the proposed commission.
- The government has not yet promised automatic adoption of Central Eighth Pay Commission recommendations.
The long-pending demand for a new pay commission took centre stage in the Tripura Legislative Assembly. Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy said the state government has made substantial progress towards constituting the Eighth Pay Commission.
He said the process has reached the final stage. The government is also considering suitable candidates for the chairperson and members of the proposed commission.
The assurance came during a discussion on pay disparities among government employees and pensioners. Opposition members also raised concerns about the fitment factor, pending benefits, irregular employees and outsourcing arrangements.
Tripura government begins Eighth Pay Commission process
Responding to a reference notice raised by MLA Sudip Roy Barman, the Finance Minister said the government would constitute the Eighth Pay Commission.
He said the government had already started preparations after the Centre constituted its Eighth Pay Commission on November 3, 2025.
According to the minister, the state has also identified some possible members. The Chief Minister is looking into the selection of an experienced person to head the commission.
Roy Singha said the commission would examine pay disparities and other issues affecting government employees and pensioners.
He also said the terms and scope of the commission would cover the concerns raised in the Assembly.
Pay revision history cited in Assembly
The Finance Minister outlined the history of pay revisions in Tripura.
The first rules for state employees came in 1963. After full statehood, the government introduced the Tripura Government Service Revised Pay Rules, 1975.
The state later revised the pay structure in 1982. It constituted the Third Pay Commission in 1985. Its recommendations led to the 1988 revised pay rules.
The Fourth Pay Commission was constituted in 1996. Its recommendations resulted in revised rules in 1999.
A Pay Revision Committee followed in 2008. The state implemented its recommendations through the 2009 revised pay rules.
Another Pay and Pension Review Revision Committee was formed in 2017. The government subsequently introduced revised rules from April 1, 2017.
After the BJP-led government came to power in 2018, it formed an Expert Committee on pay and pension revision. Its recommendations led to the First Amendment Rules, 2018.
Fitment factor remains a key concern
The Finance Minister said the 2018 Expert Committee had recommended increasing the fitment factor from 2.25 to 2.57.
He said this raised the basic pay of employees and the basic pension of pensioners.
However, opposition members argued that the fitment factor remained lower than the level available to Central Government employees.
Sudip Roy Barman claimed that the disparity had caused financial pressure on state employees and pensioners. He questioned why employees performing similar duties in the same state should receive different pay structures.
The MLA also highlighted the difference in dearness allowance. He referred to a pending gap of around 19 per cent.
The Finance Minister acknowledged the difference and said the government had repeatedly tried to reduce it.
He said the gap had narrowed at different stages but later widened again because of changes at the Central level.
Irregular and fixed-pay employees raised
The Assembly discussion also moved beyond regular government employees.
Opposition members raised the issue of nearly 40,000 irregular employees. They demanded that their regularisation and remuneration should also receive attention.
Members mentioned fixed-pay workers, contingency workers, daily-rated workers and scheme workers.
They also raised concerns about workers employed under Central schemes, including the National Health Mission, MGNREGA and education-related programmes.
The members urged the government to include these categories in the terms of reference of the proposed Pay Commission.
The Finance Minister said these concerns would be placed before the commission.
He also said the government was considering the issue of regularisation. However, he referred to existing legal and financial complications in some cases.
Outsourcing pay structure questioned
The opposition also criticised the outsourcing system.
Members claimed that some outsourced workers receive only Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000 a month. They alleged that government departments may pay substantially more to outsourcing agencies, while workers receive a smaller share after agency charges.
The issue was linked to the broader question of employee welfare and remuneration.
Members demanded a review of the system and asked the government to ensure better financial protection for workers.
Government stops short of promising Central pay structure
A major point of contention was whether Tripura would automatically adopt the recommendations of the Central Eighth Pay Commission.
Opposition members sought a clear assurance on the matter.
They asked whether the state would accept all recommendations of the Central commission once its report is submitted.
The Finance Minister did not give such a blanket assurance.
Instead, he said the relevant issues and financial factors would be placed before the proposed state commission. The commission would examine them and make recommendations.
He also stressed that the state could not announce immediate implementation without considering financial implications and procedural requirements.
Government promises commission, timeline remains unclear
The Finance Minister made it clear that the government intends to constitute the Eighth Pay Commission.
However, he did not announce a specific date for its formal constitution.
The government also did not commit to immediate payment of pending benefits or automatic implementation of the Central pay recommendations.
For employees and pensioners, the next key step will therefore be the formal constitution of the commission and notification of its terms of reference.
The Assembly discussion also placed regularisation and pay-related concerns of non-regular workers firmly on the agenda.
For now, the government has assured the House that the Eighth Pay Commission will be constituted and that the concerns raised by members will be placed before it.