PM Modi promises 7th Pay Commission for this state
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in election rally in Purba, Midnapur, West Bengal, announced on Thursday (April 9, 2026) that the 7 th Pay Commission will be announced for state government employees immediately after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) comes to power in the state.
Modi made the poll promise in a rally for the West Bengal legislative assembly elections, which are scheduled for April 23 and 29, 2026. It will be known later how much mileage the poll promise of the 7 th Pay Commission will give to the BJP, but if any government works on the 7 th Pay Commission, it can benefit a large of employees and pensioners in West Bengal.
The PM’s poll promise came at a time when buzz around the 8 th Central Pay Commission (8 th CPC) is already high. Over 1 crore central government employees and pensioners have eagerly been waiting for 8 th CPC recommendation implementation, which may take more than a year.
The promise of the 7 th Pay Commission announcement may also leave a lot of people confused as while the Centre is already working on the 8 th CPC, why West Bengal is still having the 6 th Pay Commission? Or why pay commissions at Centre and in most states are different?
Pay commissions in Centre and states
It is not mandatory that state governments align their pay commissions with Centre. Like in West Bengal and Punjab, it is the 6th Pay Commission. In Kerala, it is the 11th Pay Commission going on, while in Karnataka and Assam, the pay commission is the same as in Centre (7 th).
Why do Centre and states don’t have the same pay commission?
While Centre established the first pay commission in the 1946-47, many states were not in existence at that time. New states were carved out from the existing states under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. States such as Sikkim (1975) and Arunachal Pradesh (1987) became part of India much later.
Budget allocations for Centre and states for pay commissions are different. So, in most cases, it is not possible for the central and state pay commissions to be in sync with each other.
Why do states form their own pay commissions?
Like central government employees, employees and pensioners of a state government also go through payout revision. Their salary, pension and allowances are revised. Conditions for revision can be as per a state’s economy and the budget for a particular pay commission. So, instead of copying the Central Pay Commission’s recommendations straight away, states can also form their own pay commissions.
Is the payout revision for state government employees the same as that of central government employees?
The secretary of a prominent central government employee association on the condition of anonymity told ET Wealth Online that most of the times, states have the same fitment factors as Centre, but they may also have a smaller or a higher number also.
For example, the 7th CPC had a fitment factor of 2.57, while in the Punjab, the state’s 6th Pay Commission, which was also implemented from January 1, 2016, took a fitment factor of 2.59. On the other hand, the Uttar Pradesh government offered the fitment factor of 2.57 to its employees.
Is the salary structure of states and the central government the same or different?
Manjeet Singh Patel, National President of the All India NPS Employees Federation, told ET Wealth Online despite there being different pay commissions running in different states, the pay structure in states and Centre is nearly the same.
“It is also done to motivate state government employees and two different pay structures for the same level of employee in a state and Centre may give rise to discontent,” says Patel.
Does a state pay commission work the same way as the Central Pay Commission does?
The secretary said that the process of a state government pay commission is the same as that of a central pay commission.
“States also appoint a chairman and committee members. The pay commission prepares a report of recommendations and submit it to a group of ministers. The group goes through it and provides suggestions. The state government then implement the report,” says the secretary.
Modi made the poll promise in a rally for the West Bengal legislative assembly elections, which are scheduled for April 23 and 29, 2026. It will be known later how much mileage the poll promise of the 7 th Pay Commission will give to the BJP, but if any government works on the 7 th Pay Commission, it can benefit a large of employees and pensioners in West Bengal.
The PM’s poll promise came at a time when buzz around the 8 th Central Pay Commission (8 th CPC) is already high. Over 1 crore central government employees and pensioners have eagerly been waiting for 8 th CPC recommendation implementation, which may take more than a year.
The promise of the 7 th Pay Commission announcement may also leave a lot of people confused as while the Centre is already working on the 8 th CPC, why West Bengal is still having the 6 th Pay Commission? Or why pay commissions at Centre and in most states are different?
Pay commissions in Centre and states
It is not mandatory that state governments align their pay commissions with Centre. Like in West Bengal and Punjab, it is the 6th Pay Commission. In Kerala, it is the 11th Pay Commission going on, while in Karnataka and Assam, the pay commission is the same as in Centre (7 th).
Why do Centre and states don’t have the same pay commission?
While Centre established the first pay commission in the 1946-47, many states were not in existence at that time. New states were carved out from the existing states under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. States such as Sikkim (1975) and Arunachal Pradesh (1987) became part of India much later.
Budget allocations for Centre and states for pay commissions are different. So, in most cases, it is not possible for the central and state pay commissions to be in sync with each other.
Why do states form their own pay commissions?
Like central government employees, employees and pensioners of a state government also go through payout revision. Their salary, pension and allowances are revised. Conditions for revision can be as per a state’s economy and the budget for a particular pay commission. So, instead of copying the Central Pay Commission’s recommendations straight away, states can also form their own pay commissions.
Is the payout revision for state government employees the same as that of central government employees?
The secretary of a prominent central government employee association on the condition of anonymity told ET Wealth Online that most of the times, states have the same fitment factors as Centre, but they may also have a smaller or a higher number also.
For example, the 7th CPC had a fitment factor of 2.57, while in the Punjab, the state’s 6th Pay Commission, which was also implemented from January 1, 2016, took a fitment factor of 2.59. On the other hand, the Uttar Pradesh government offered the fitment factor of 2.57 to its employees.
Is the salary structure of states and the central government the same or different?
Manjeet Singh Patel, National President of the All India NPS Employees Federation, told ET Wealth Online despite there being different pay commissions running in different states, the pay structure in states and Centre is nearly the same.
“It is also done to motivate state government employees and two different pay structures for the same level of employee in a state and Centre may give rise to discontent,” says Patel.
Does a state pay commission work the same way as the Central Pay Commission does?
The secretary said that the process of a state government pay commission is the same as that of a central pay commission.
“States also appoint a chairman and committee members. The pay commission prepares a report of recommendations and submit it to a group of ministers. The group goes through it and provides suggestions. The state government then implement the report,” says the secretary.
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