Lottery of government employees! Now your salary will decide the prices of milk and vegetables, this unique formula of the 8th Pay Commission surprised everyone.

New Delhi: A very surprising and interesting news is coming out regarding the salary hike for central government employees. Till now you must have heard that the salary of employees increases on the basis of fitment factor, dearness allowance (DA) and family unit, but this time a completely new and unique ‘3490 calorie’ system in the 8th Pay Commission can prove to be a game changer. Under this new formula, the salary of the employees will have a direct connection with the prices of your daily food items like milk, vegetables, grains and pulses. Let us explain to you in detail what this whole matter is and how it is going to affect your pocket.

What is this ‘3490 calorie’ formula and why did its demand arise?

Actually, this entire formula depends on how many calories a government employee and his family need daily to stay healthy. The minimum salary will be determined based on the market prices of ration, milk and vegetables required to meet this fixed quantity of 3,490 calories. Employee unions have strongly demanded before the 8th Pay Commission that this modern method should be adopted while determining the new minimum salary. The unions clearly say that the decades old formulas no longer accurately reflect today’s lifestyle and inflation.

The formula of the 1940s became obsolete, employee organizations mobilized

Earlier, the salary of government employees was calculated on the basis of nutritional values ​​of about 2700 calories. The staff side of the National Council-Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM) in its memorandum submitted has stated that the ‘Dr. The ‘Wallace Aykroyd Formula’ (which was based on 2700 calories) is now completely outdated. The organization suggests that the 8th Pay Commission should now implement the completely new and updated nutrition rules of ICMR.

ICMR’s new rules: Know who needs how many calories

According to the latest dietary guidelines issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), the daily calorie requirement of any person depends on his physical activity. It is divided into three categories – people doing low, moderate and high physical activity.

According to statistics, the recommended daily calorie intake for adults is as follows: men with low physical activity need 2110 kcal and women need 1660 kcal. Men doing moderate physical activity need 2710 kcal and women need 2130 kcal. At the same time, the quantity for men doing more physical activity has been fixed at 3470 kcal and for women 2720 kcal.

The employee unions have made this parameter of ‘higher physical activity’ the biggest basis of their new demand. They argue that many central government departments involve large-scale fieldwork, frequent travel, busy and stressful schedules coupled with heavy physical labour, which significantly increases the energy needs of employees. Apart from NC-JCM, All India NPS Employees Federation (AINPSEF) has also used the same calorie and food cost calculations in its memorandum to the Pay Commission. He says that the current minimum wage is very low compared to today’s back-breaking inflation.

Federation’s bumper proposal: Demand to increase minimum wage directly to Rs 60,000

A mathematical proposal has also been placed before the Pay Commission on behalf of the Employees Federation. Under this, multiplying Rs 6,000 per consumption unit by 5 family units makes the base amount Rs 30,000. After this, about 58 percent dearness allowance (DA) was added to this memorandum, due to which this figure increases to about Rs 47,400.

Finally, after factoring in today’s high healthcare costs, children’s education costs and modern lifestyle needs, the Federation has strongly argued that the scientifically determined minimum wage should be at least in the range of Rs 55,000 to Rs 60,000.

More than 1 crore people will be directly affected

Let us tell you that the decisions of this 8th Pay Commission will have a direct impact on more than 1.1 crore beneficiaries of the country, which includes existing central government employees, pensioners and their families. If we look at the history of India, a total of seven pay commissions have been formed so far, out of which the first pay commission was formed in January 1946. Usually, a new Pay Commission comes every 10 years, and in this series, the 8th Pay Commission has been constituted on 3 November 2025, whose recommendations the employees are eagerly waiting for.