The 8th Central Pay Commission begins two days of stakeholder consultations in Bengaluru today, October 7. The panel will meet employee unions, pensioner associations and regional stakeholders across Wednesday and Thursday.The Bengaluru sittings will gather on-the-ground views from southern region staff federations, scientific staff representations and pensioner forums. The panel will then visit Mumbai on October 22 and 23, where it will meet railway employee federations, port staff and financial sector unions, and is expected to visit Central Railway zone departments.Stakeholders seeking appointments for the Mumbai consultations must apply by October 10 through the commission's official portal. The Bengaluru application window closed on September 18.The commission's recommendations will shape the pay matrix, Dearness Allowance merger, House Rent Allowance rationalisation and pension structures for about 50 lakh central government employees and 65 lakh pensioners. The 18-month mandate ends around May 2027, when the final report is expected. The panel has been conducting state visits since March to collect data before deciding.