8th Pay Commission: Central employees’ commuted pension to be restored after 12 years?

8th Pay Commission: Central employees’ commuted pension to be restored after 12 years?  

Big employee unions like Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers say that the government is constantly ignoring their demands. 

This is increasing resentment among employees and pensioners.

Written by PF Desk March 16, 2025 13:57 IST

8th Pay Commission News: The long-standing demand for the restoration of commuted pensions is again in discussion. Currently, this pension is restored after 15 years, but employee organisations want the government to cut this commutation period to 12 years.

Now, after the announcement of the 8th Pay Commission, employees are hopeful that the government may take up the issue this time. The government is currently in the process of deciding the terms and conditions of the Pay Commission, and with this, the employee organisations have raised their voice.

Big employee unions like the Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers say that the government is constantly ignoring their demands. This is increasing resentment among employees and pensioners. The union recently announced demonstrations across the country. Under this, gate meetings and general body meetings were organised.

8th Pay Commission: 6 major demands of employees:

Immediate establishment of 8th Pay Commission and inclusion of demands of employees.

Abolish New Pension Scheme (NPS) and implement Old Pension Scheme (OPS).

Immediate release of Dearness Allowance (DA) stopped during COVID-19.

Reducing the restoration period of adjusted (commuted) pension from 15 years to 12 years.

Removing the limit on compassionate appointments and filling the vacant posts soon.

Ensuring democratic functioning of organisation.

The government deducts the pension of retired employees for 15 years. That is, the lump sum amount received is compensated monthly for 15 years. Employees’ demand:

Employees want this period to be made 12 years, so that retired personnel can get full pension soon

Employees’ arguments: Why is this change necessary?

Given the rising inflation and expenses, the reduction of 15 years is unfair.

Employees already bear taxes and deductions during their service. If this change happens, millions of retired employees will get relief.

What is the government thinking?

So far, no formal announcement has been made by the government with regard to a decision on pension commutation and restoration period. Employee organisations are constantly putting pressure, and if their demands are not met, they are preparing to protest on a large scale.

Now The process of the 8th Pay Commission is still in its initial stages. It may become clear in the coming days whether the government will be ready to accept this important demand of the employees.

Nirmala Bats For Middle Order To Revive India’s Spend Force

Nirmala Bats For Middle Order To Revive India’s Spend Force 

Zero-Tax Party For Those In ₹12-Lakh Slab, Gain-Changing Relief Cheers Others Too

TEAM TOI On Budget-eve, PM Modi invoked Goddess Lakshmi, and a day later, Indian taxpayers got a Diwali bonus in Feb. With Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announcing revised tax slabs and rates under the new regime, the biggest bonanza is for those whose income is up to Rs 12 lakh (Rs 12.75 lakh for salaried taxpayers as they get a standard deduction of Rs 75,000) as their liability will become nil under the new proposed income tax regime.

However, income such as capital gains are excluded and will be taxed at separate short and long-term rates. So how did the FM reach this magic zero-tax figure? 

This was thanks to an increase in tax rebate to Rs 60,000 from the present level of Rs 25,000. Under the new regime, the tax liability on income of Rs 12 lakh and Rs 12.75 lakh for salaried persons is Rs 60,000 which is waived off due to rebate of up to Rs 60,000. Ergo, nil tax. But what if you earn more than Rs 12 lakh? If your taxable income is even a rupee more, you will not get the benefit of rebate but will have to pay taxes as per slab rates un der the new tax regime. But because of a rejig of tax slabs and standard deduction of Rs 75,000 under the new regime, everyone stands to gain. As per the rejig, for people earning over Rs 12 lakh per annum, there will be nil tax for income up to Rs 4 lakh, 5 per cent for income between Rs 4 and 8 lakh, 10 per cent for Rs 8-12 lakh, and 15 per cent for Rs 12-16 lakh. A 20% income-tax will be levied on income between 16 and 20 lakh, 25 per cent on 20-24 lakh and 30 per cent above 24 lakh per annum. How much you save will depend on your income level (see chart). The maximum benefit of Rs 1.1 lakh will accrue at an income level of Rs 24 lakh, where the tax liability under the proposed scheme would be Rs 3 lakh as against Rs 4.1 under the existing new scheme. Beyond the income level of Rs 24 lakh, the tax rates remained unchanged at 30%, so the benefit will remain at Rs 1.1 lakh. Earlier, the limit of income for nil tax payment was Rs 7 lakh.

By increasing this limit to Rs 12 lakh, around 1 crore as-sessees who were earlier required to pay tax varying from Rs 20,000 to Rs 80,000 will be now paying nil tax. The provision will cost the exchequer revenue loss of Rs 1 lakh crore. 

For those under the old regime — used usually by those who have home loans or HRA deductions — there is no change in either rates or slabs. To come back to a point that often causes confusion, what happens to those with taxable incomes of just over Rs 12 lakh? In such cases, the taxpayer will get marginal relief to ensure that those earning just over Rs 12 lakh don't end up with post-tax incomes lower than those earning Rs 12 lakh. For instance, an individual has a taxable income of Rs 12.10 lakh. Without marginal relief, their tax liability would be 61,500 calculated as per tax slabs. However, with marginal relief in place, this taxpayer owes just 10,000. But there’s a cap — marginal relief is only admissible for incomes up to approximately 12.75 lakh. Beyond this, regular tax slabs apply.

₹2000 notes worth ₹6,691 cr. yet to be returned: RBI data

₹2000 notes worth ₹6,691 cr. yet to be returned: RBI data

02.01.2025

The total value of ₹2000 banknotes in circulation, which stood at ₹3.56 lakh crore at the close of business on May 19, 2023, when the withdrawal of ₹2000 banknotes was announced, has declined to ₹6,691 crore at the close of business on December 31, 2024, as per updated data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). “Thus, 98.12% of the ₹2000 banknotes in circulation as on May 19, 2023, have since been returned,” the RBI said on Wednesday.

INDIA OVERTAKES UK

 

NO PROPOSAL FROM TELENGANA FOR MEDICAL COLLEGE

 

HEALTH INSURANCE

 

NEW DELI

 

FIRST PAGE HINDU NEWS PAPER 15 TH AUGUST 1947

 

MINISTRY OF FINANCE ADVERTISEMENT

 

THE 15TH PRESIDENT

 

PRESIDENT ELECTION

 

DENIAL OF TOURIST VISAS

 

 

CAN TAP FOREIGN FUNDS

Govt restores FCRA licence as MoC rectifies violations

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Bharti Jain & SubhroNiyogi TNN

09.01.2022

New Delhi/Kolkata: The Union home ministry has restored the registration of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity (MoC) under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, after the charity rectified the accounts-related violations that had been flagged while rejecting its application for renewal of the licence to receive funds from abroad. The Kolkata-based NGO also informed the ministry that it had terminated the services of a staffer accused of child trafficking in Jharkhand.

The MHA’s move reopens the option of foreign funding for MoC, besides enabling it to utilise the money already lying in its FCRA account. “The power of love and service has won. We thank God for touching the hearts of the authorities and showing them thetruth. We thank the authorities for seeing the truth. Our beloved saint, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, continues to guide and lead her congregation in serving the poorest of the poor,” Catholic Association of Bengal president Angelina Mantosh Jasnani said.

Sources told TOI that soon after its licence-renew-al plea was rejected by the MHA on December 25 on grounds of “adverse inputs”, MoC functionaries met ministry officials to clarify that they had rectified the FCRA violations for which legal notices had been served. These included violations for which the charity had paid penalties, an officer said. The violations mainly pertained to transfer of FCRA funds between various accounts, besides purchase of a vehicle.

Another adverse input against MoC was related to the child trafficking case registered in Jharkhand, naming an office-bearer of the charity as one of the accused. The organisation informed the MHA through an affidavit that the staffer had been sacked. It disowned two other accused in the case, saying they were not its office-bearers. Proceedings in the case are underway.

Physical attendance of govt servants restricted to 50%, biometric attendance discontinued

Physical attendance of govt servants restricted to 50%, biometric attendance discontinued

TNN | Jan 3, 2022, 09.41 PM IST

NEW DELHI: Taking cognisance of the surge in Covid-19 cases, the government on Monday re-introduced restrictions across all Central government offices, including cutting physical attendance of employees below the level of under-secretary to 50% with the other 50% working from home.

Biometric attendance, which was resumed in November 2021 after nearly one-and-a-half years, has also been discontinued in all Central government offices with immediate effect and until further notice, as per an order issued by the department of personnel and training on Monday.

Officers of the level of under-secretary and above, however, must attend office on a regular basis.

The fresh DoPT order exempts persons with disabilities and pregnant women employees from attending office, though they shall be required to work from home.

Staggered timings – from 9 am to 5.30 pm and from 10 am to 6.30 pm -- have been introduced once again in the Central government offices to avoid over-crowding. Government employees working from home must be available at all times on the telephone and email.

Officers and staff residing in areas marked as containment zones shall be exempted from coming to offices till such zones are de-notified.

Meetings, as per DoPT order, must be conducted via video-conferencing as far as possible and personal meetings and visitors, unless absolutely necessary, avoided.

Frequent sanitisation of workplace and wearing of masks, regular washing and sanitisation of hands and maintenance of social distancing by staff across all Central government offices has also been sought.

13.7L files cleared out, 8L sq ft space freed

GOVT OFFICES

13.7L files cleared out, 8L sq ft space freed

New Delhi:  02.11.2021

In a massive weeding exercise, over 13.73 lakh files were cleared out and almost 8 lakh square feet of space freed in central government offices over the past month, as part of a special campaign for disposal of pendency from the government of India.

Minister of state for personnel Jitendra Singh, who on Monday reviewed the outcome of the special campaign launched on October 2, said that the government earned Rs 40 crore through disposal of scrap during this period. At the review meeting with top officials of department of administrative reforms and public grievances (DARPG) on outcome of the campaign here on Monday, Singh noted with satisfaction that more than 13.73 lakh files were weeded out of 15.23 lakh files identified for the purpose. Similarly, against the target of 3.28 lakh public grievances, 2.91 lakh were redressed within 30 days.

Out of 11,057 references from MPs, 8,282 were resolved. Moreover, 685 out of 834 identified rules and processes were simplified during the said period. Singh said the special campaign on disposal of pendency in government was conducted on the directions of the PM and the progress will be presented to him this week. He informed that during this campaign, files of temporary nature were identified and weeded out.

Biometric entry for central staff to resume from November 8

Biometric entry for central staff to resume from November 8

New Delhi:02.11.2021

With Covid cases on the decline, the Union government on Monday ordered resumption of biometric attendance for all its employees from November 8.

Biometric attendance, which involves pressing one’s fingers on a scanner, was discontinued across central government offices since last year, as a precautionary measure against Covid. Attendance was instead being maintained through physical registers.

An order issued by the department of personnel and training said the matter had been reviewed and “it has been decided to resume biometric attendance for all levels of employees”, with effect from next Monday. It added that the heads of departments would be responsible for ensuring sanitisers next to biometric machines. Also, physical distance of six feet must be maintained by all employees while marking attendance and if need be, additional biometric attendance machines may be installed to avoid overcrowding.

Asking all employees to wear masks at all times, including while waiting to mark their attendance, DoPT said designated personnel should be deployed near biometric stations to clean/wipe the touchpad/ scanner areas of biometric scanners frequently. TNN

Biometric attendance to resume from Nov 8

Biometric attendance to resume from Nov 8

New Delhi:02.11.2021

With Covid-19 cases on the decline, the central government on Monday ordered resumption of biometric attendance for all levels of its employees from November 8 onwards.

Biometric attendance, which involves pressing one’s finger on the scanner of a biometric machine, was discontinued across all central government offices since last year, as a precautionary measure against spread of Covid-19. Attendance was instead being maintained through physical registers. TNN

Govt defends ₹8 lakh income limit for EWS quota in SC

Govt defends ₹8 lakh income limit for EWS quota in SC

AmitAnand.Choudhary@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:27.10.2021

Facing questions from the Supreme Court on the rationale for fixing income limit of ₹8 lakh for EWS (economically weaker sections) quota, which is similar to that of OBCs, the Centre said the determination cannot be a mathematical formula, and the matter be left to the government.

Stating that the income criteria was on the basis of the Maj Gen Sinho commission report which had in 2010 suggested that creamy layer benchmark for OBCs be adopted for EWS, the Centre said setting different income limits for regions on the basis of cost of living and per capita income was simply not feasible.

₹8 lakh criteria for EWS rational: Affidavit

Allaying the apprehension that ₹8 lakh limit is too high for people from general category — which does not suffer from social and educational backwardness that are grounds for OBC reservation — and would result in over-inclusiveness, the Centre said there are other checks to ensure only needy people avail of the EWS benefits in government jobs and admissions in educational institutions.

Responding to court’s query on why the same income limit be applied across the country despite a rural-urban divide and different per capita income in different states, the government indicated that a certain subjectivity might be inevitable and said, “The determination has to be made on broad probabilities and it is impossible to achieve perfection/mathematical precision”.

“It is submitted that the principle of fixation of ₹8 lakh as a criteria for determination of EWS as also for determination of creamy lawyer in the OBC category is rational and in keeping with Articles 14, 15 and 16 of the Constitution. The exercise conducted to determine the creamy layer for the purpose of OBC reservation would be equally applicable for determination of EWS category since the fundamental premise is that if a person/his family have a substantial economic standing, he/she may not require the benefits of reservation at the cost of others....In any event, the office memorandum provides further exclusionary criteria,” the affidavit said.

“To provide further check as to ensure that that only the needy get the benefit of the reservation , the office memorandum provides further exclusions which are not applicable for determination of creamy lawyer for OBCs,” the affidavit said and mentioned that a person would not be entitled to EWS quota if along with her family she owns 5 acres of agriculture land or a residential flat of 1,000 sq ft or a residential plot of 100 sq yard or 200 sq yard in notified municipalities.

Full report on www.toi.in

PM CARES isn’t GoI fund, PMO tells HC

PM CARES isn’t GoI fund, PMO tells HC

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:24.09.2021

The PM CARES Fund is not a government of India fund and the amount collected by it does not go to the Consolidated Fund of India, the Centre has informed the Delhi HC. An affidavit filed by an undersecretary at the PMO attached to the PM Cares Trust on an honorary basis says the trust functions with transparency and its funds are audited by a chartered accountant drawn from the panel prepared by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. The affidavit was filed in response to a plea seeking direction to declare the PM CARES Fund a “State”’ under the Constitution to ensure transparency in its functioning.

‘Trust functions on principles of transparency’

“To ensure transparency, the audited report is put on the official website of the trust along with the details of utilisation of funds received by the trust,” says the affidavit filed by Pradeep Kumar Srivastava, undersecretary at the PMO.

Irrespective of whether the trust is a “State” or other authority within the meaning of Article 12 of the Constitution, or whether it is a “public authority” within the meaning of provisions of the Right to Information Act (RTI), it is not permissible to disclose third-party information, the affidavit states.

It added that all donations received by the trust are received via online payments, cheques or demand drafts, and the amount received is audited. The audited report and the expenditure of the trust fund is displayed on the website, it said.

“The trust functions on the principles of transparency and public good in larger public interest, like any other charitable trust and, therefore, cannot have any objection in uploading all its resolutions on its website to ensure transparency,” it said.

The court was hearing a PIL that claimed the PM CARES Fund is a “State”’ as it was formed by the Prime Minister on March 27, 2020 to extend assistance to the citizens of India in the wake of a public health emergency — the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

To ensure transparency and accountability, the plea had sought a direction for periodic auditing of the PM CARES website and the disclosure of details of donations received by it.

The only man whose photo hangs inside the Lok Sabha

PEOPLE WHO SHAPED PARLIAMENT

The only man whose photo hangs inside the Lok Sabha

Chakshu Roy

15.08.2021

In August of 1925, there was excitement in Simla. Members of the legislative assembly were in town to participate in the session of the national legislature. The session’s highlight was the election for the presiding officer of the assembly. The Government of India Act of 1919 had set up the 141-member assembly and appointed its first presiding officer (the President which is the equivalent of the modernday Speaker) for a four-year term. For the first time, there was going to be an election for the position of President.

The candidate opposing the government nominee was Vithalbhai Jhaverbhai Patel, the elder brother of Vallabhbhai Patel. He was a lawyer who had frustrated the government with his interventions in provincial and national legislatures. In a closely contested election, Vithalbhai won with a margin of two votes a month before his 52nd birthday. Over the next five years, he would lay the foundation on which legislatures in India would function and flourish after independence.

When he assumed office, President Patel continued wearing his usual dress of khadi and dhoti. His biographer recounts that he went ahead with the parliamentary tradition of wearing a wig and a robe but made of khadi. His robe was fashioned out of a black khadi silk saree presented by Sarojini Naidu. The first task before Vithalbhai was to secure respect for the office of the presiding officer.

The prevailing tradition was that when the Viceroy came to deliver his annual address to the legislature, the presiding officer vacated the chair and sat with the assembly members. The implication being that even in the legislature, the Viceroy was supreme. Vithalbhai put an end to this practice, and at the following annual address, he conducted the Viceroy to a dais and kept his chair.

He also ensured that assembly members had an adequate opportunity to hold the government to account. In his five-year tenure, he allowed discussion of 20-plus adjournment motions. He would also brook no disrespect of the legislature. When the Commander in Chief was absent from the House during a debate on his speech, Vithalbhai observed that it was highly discourteous to the House, prompting the commander to explain his absence to Vithalbhai.

In the President’s chair, Vithalbhai was unbiased and upheld parliamentary conventions. His ruling on the government’s repressive Public Safety bill (which gave the government power to detain suspects without trial) is one such example. When the first bill came up in the assembly, there was an equality of votes. President Patel had the casting vote, and he exercised it to defeat the bill. He followed the parliamentary tradition that the presiding officer vote to favour the status quo.

Smarting from the defeat, the government again brought the bill to the assembly. This time a member objected that the government had filed cases against 31 individuals and discussing cases pending before the court was not permissible under the rules. Vithalbhai ruled that discussion on the bill would violate the sub judice rule, and he could not allow such a violation. The venue for these discussions was the current Lok Sabha chamber.

Bhagat Singh expressed public resentment about this bill by throwing two bombs from the visitor’s gallery into the assembly chamber. After this incident, without consulting President Patel, the government made security arrangements in the assembly complex. Vithalbhai believed that whatever happened in the precincts of the assembly should be done with the approval of the presiding officer.

The deadlock and subsequent conversations on this issue between President Patel and the Viceroy led to the Watch and Ward service, which transformed into the Parliament Security Service. Vithalbhai was also instrumental in setting up the independent parliamentary secretariat. He believed that an independent and impartial administration responsible to the presiding officer was a requirement for the functioning of the legislature.

When Vithalbhai became the president of the central assembly, he declared, “From this moment I cease to be a party man. I belong to no party. I belong to all parties.” His is the only portrait that adorns the Lok Sabha chamber facing the chair of the Speaker. His presence should constantly remind our parliamentarians about their responsibility to the constitution and people.

Roy is head of outreach PRS Legislative Research

From this moment on, I belong to no party. I belong to all parties

— VITHALBHAI PATEL

After being elected first president of the central legislative assembly