8th Pay Commission: Meet The Judge, Professor And IAS Officer Shaping Salary Hike

The central government has recently approved the Eighth Pay Commission, with former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai appointed as the chairperson. Professor Pulak Ghosh has been named a part-time member of the Commission and senior IAS officer Pankaj Jain has been appointed as the Member-Secretary.

The Commission, which will present its recommendations within 18 months, is expected to implement changes from January 1, 2026.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the Commission’s recommendations will affect approximately 50 lakh central government employees, including defence service personnel, and around 69 lakh pensioners.

News18 takes a closer look at the Chairperson, Members, and Member-Secretary of the Eighth

Pay Commission.

Who Is Justice Ranjana Desai?

Justice Ranjana Desai, hailing from Mumbai, was born on October 30, 1949. She completed her BA at Elphinstone College and LLB at Government Law College in Mumbai. Appointed as a judge in the Bombay High Court in 1996, she served in the Supreme Court from September 13, 2011, to October 29, 2014. She has also chaired the Delimitation Commission of India and the Press Council of India.

Who Is Professor Pulak Ghosh?

Professor Pulak Ghosh who has been named a part-time member of the Commission, is currently a professor at IIM Bangalore, specialising in technology, data science, artificial intelligence (AI), and their impact on finance, development policy, and social value creation.

Who Is Senior IAS Officer Pankaj Jain?

Pankaj Jain, who has been appointed as the Member-Secretary of the Commission, is a 1990-batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre and is currently serving as Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. He holds an MBA and is a qualified Cost Accountant.