New Delhi, January 16: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday approved setting up the 8th Pay Commission to revise salaries of nearly 50 lakh central government employees and allowances of 65 lakh pensioners. Following is the timeline of the previous seven pay commissions.

* 1st Pay Commission (May 1946 - May 1947)

Chairman: Srinivasa Varadacharia

Focused on rationalizing the pay structure after India's independence

Introduced the concept of the “living wage"

Minimum salary: Rs 55/month; maximum salary: Rs 2,000/month

Beneficiaries: Around 1.5 million employees

* 2nd Pay Commission (August 1957 - August 1959)

Chairman: Jaganath Das

Focused on balancing the economy and living cost

Recommended the minimum wage of Rs 80/month

Introduced the 'socialistic pattern of society'

Beneficiaries: Approximately 2.5 million employees 8th Pay Commission Approved: How Much Salary Hike Can Central Government Employees Expect Under 8th CPC?.

* 3rd Pay Commission (April 1970 - March 1973)

Chairman: Raghubir Dayal

Recommended minimum pay of Rs 185/month

Emphasized salary parity between public and private sectors

Addressed inequalities in the pay structure

Beneficiaries: About 3 million employees

* 4th Pay Commission (September 1983 - December 1986)

Chairman: P.N. Singhal

Recommended a minimum salary of Rs 750/month.

Focused on reducing disparities in salaries across rank.

Introduced a performance-linked pay structure

Beneficiaries: Over 3.5 million employees

* 5th Pay Commission (April 1994 - January 1997)

Chairman: Justice S. Ratnavel Pandian

Recommended a minimum pay of Rs 2,550/month

Suggested reducing the number of pay scale

Focused on modernizing government office

Beneficiaries: Around 4 million employees 8th Pay Commission Gets PM Narendra Modi’s Approval, 7th Pay Commission To End in 2026.

* 6th Pay Commission (October 2006 - March 2008)

Chairman: Justice B.N. Srikrishna

Introduced Pay Bands and Grade Pay

Minimum salary: Rs 7,000/month; maximum salary: Rs 80,000/month

Emphasized performance-related incentive

Beneficiaries: Nearly 6 million employees

* 7th Pay Commission (February 2014 - November 2016)

Chairman: Justice A K Mathur

Minimum pay raised to Rs 18,000/month; maximum pay Rs 2,50,000/month

Recommended a new pay matrix instead of grade pay system

Focused on allowances and work-life balance

Beneficiaries: Over 10 million (including pensioners)

* 8th Pay Commission announced on 16th January 2025.