Mumbai: In the 2025-26 Union Budget, there has been a big change in how the government is spending money on salaries and pensions. For this year, the government's pension expenses are expected to be Rs 2.77 lakh crores, which is more than what is planned for salaries, which will be Rs 1.66 lakh crores. This is a big shift from previous years when salaries were usually higher than pensions. The drop in salary expenses, especially in 2023-24, suggests that there might be fewer government employees now.
Even though salary costs have gone down, the overall expenses for government workers (which include both salaries and pensions) have stayed steady. This is because other expenses, like allowances, have gone up. In fact, allowances for things like travel have been given more focus than salaries, showing that the way government workers are paid might be changing.
Looking ahead, the 8th Pay Commission, which will likely be implemented in 2027, could lead to a big rise in salary costs. This is because the basic pay of government workers will increase, and with it, their allowances will also go up, depending on inflation. So, salary expenses will likely grow in the future once the 8th Pay Commission's changes take effect.
