8th Pay Commission News: Bengaluru Meeting on Oct 7-8 to Discuss Salary and Pension as VDA Lifts Minimum Wages

Two government updates on pay are in focus this week. The 8th Pay Commission will hold consultations in Bengaluru on 7 and 8 October 2026, where central government employees' bodies and pensioners' groups can put their salary and pension demands before it. Separately, the Centre has revised the Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA) from 1 October 2026, which has raised minimum wages for workers in several central-sphere jobs.

For employees, pensioners and workers, both developments feed into how much they earn and receive in the months ahead. Neither one is a final pay or pension decision.

8th Pay Commission Bengaluru meeting: what is scheduled

According to a notice dated 24 August 2026 on the Commission's website, the Eighth Central Pay Commission will visit Bengaluru on 7 and 8 October. Associations, unions and other stakeholders had to request an appointment by 18 September, along with the Unique Memo ID generated after submitting a memorandum. The venue and detailed schedule were to be shared later.

Employee organisations are expected to raise fitment factor, pay revision, dearness allowance (DA), house rent allowance (HRA) and pension. The 8th Pay Commission latest update is that these are consultations only. They do not change anyone's salary on their own.

Fitment factor is the number everyone is watching

The fitment factor is among the most discussed issues in 8th Pay Commission news. It is the multiplier used to convert existing basic pay into revised pay, and it also feeds into pension calculations. Different employee organisations have asked for different values, and some have reportedly asked for a factor of up to 4.

No final fitment factor has been announced by the government or the Commission so far.

8th Pay Commission pension: what the estimates show

Pensioners are also looking at what revised pension could look like. Estimates reported by AajTak show how the number changes with the multiplier used. These are illustrations, not a decision.

For example, the current minimum basic pension at Level 5 is Rs 14,600. At a fitment factor of 2.1 it would be about Rs 30,660, and at 2.57 about Rs 37,522.

Similarly, at a fitment factor of 2.57 the minimum basic pension at Level 9 is estimated at about Rs 68,234.

The final pension will depend on the Commission's recommendation and the government's approval of it.

VDA revised: why minimum wages went up

The new VDA rates for central-sphere workers apply from 1 October 2026. Going by the Labour Bureau, the revision follows the change in the Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW), which rose from 424.80 on 30 June 2026 to 431.42, an increase of 6.62 points. VDA exists so that minimum wages keep pace with inflation.

New minimum wage for construction workers

In construction and allied work, the daily minimum wage depends on the worker's skill category and whether the work falls in Area A, B or C. The rates below are in rupees per day and apply from 1 October 2026.

A highly skilled construction worker in Area A, for example, now has a minimum wage of Rs 1,111 a day.

Agricultural workers also get a higher minimum wage

New rates have been notified for agricultural workers too. An unskilled agricultural worker's minimum wage is now Rs 537 a day in Area A, Rs 491 in Area B and Rs 486 in Area C. For highly skilled agricultural workers, it is Rs 705 in Area A, Rs 655 in Area B and Rs 587 in Area C.

Who do the new minimum wage rates apply to?

These rates apply to employments in the central sphere, where the Centre fixes the minimum wage. They are not a universal minimum salary for every worker in India. Employments under state governments are covered by the minimum wage rates of the respective state.

What to watch next

The Bengaluru meeting is one more step in the 8th Pay Commission's consultation process, and the input it receives will shape later stages. For now, the Commission has not announced a final fitment factor, new salary or pension figure. Government employees, pensioners and workers will be watching for decisions on salary, pension, DA and minimum wages in the coming months.