New Delhi, Sep 16: The eighth Central Pay Commission is set to begin a three-day visit to Chandigarh on Wednesday, as part of its consultations on pay and pension-related matters.

The commission will hold meetings with civil service unions, pensioner groups and representatives of the regional administration till Friday.

The discussions are expected to focus on pay conditions and submissions from public sector stakeholders in northern India.

The eighth Central Pay Commission is led by former Supreme Court Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai while its members include Pankaj Jain, a former IAS officer serving as Member-Secretary, and Pulak Ghosh, a tenured Professor of Finance and a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister.

Representatives from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh are expected to submit their views on the pay and pension revision during the commission’s meetings.

Employee associations, pensioner groups and other stakeholder bodies, including those representing railway and defence personnel, will put forward their views before the panel.

The feedback gathered during these consultations will form part of the inputs considered while framing its recommendations.

The commission’s work could have a bearing on the financial interests of more than one crore employees and pensioners.

The affected population includes around 50 lakh Central government employees and about 65 lakh pensioners, covering defence and railway personnel as well as retirees.

Employee representatives are seeking a higher fitment factor, which would raise the base used to calculate salaries under the next pay revision.

Unions are also calling for changes to the Dearness Allowance (DA) framework, including more frequent revisions and a possible merger with basic pay after a specified threshold is reached.

Several submissions seek a review of house rent allowance (HRA), transport allowances and hardship-related payments, with demands for higher rates that take account rising costs in cities and difficult postings.

Pensioner organisations are seeking stronger safeguards for retirement income, enhanced family pension provisions and better healthcare support after retirement.

Employee bodies are also raising concerns over promotion structures, service conditions and the competitiveness of government compensation as part of efforts to sustain workforce morale and recruitment.

Under the timeline set out in its Terms of Reference, the commission has 18 months from its constitution on November 3, 2025, to submit its recommendations.

Gurugram, Sep 16: A Gurugram court on Wednesday sent Kalyan Bainsla, the driver accused of hitting a woman biker on Golf Course Road, and his cousin to two days’ police custody in connection with the hit-and-run case.

Bainsla and his cousin Lavneesh were produced before Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMIC) Nidhi Beniwal, who sent them to police custody.

Both accused will be produced before the court again on September 18.

The development came a day after Gurugram police arrested Bainsla from Rajasthan’s Dausa and Lavneesh from Haryana’s Palwal in connection with the incident.

Lavneesh was allegedly present in the car along with Bainsla at the time of the incident.

The Gurugram Police had earlier added Section 109 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), pertaining to attempt to murder, to the FIR after the victim, Sia, and her family approached the police seeking stringent action against those involved.

The case was initially registered after the police took suo motu cognisance of a video showing a car hitting a female biker on Golf Course Road.

Following a detailed investigation and analysis of CCTV footage, the police added the attempt-to-murder charge, which carries a punishment of up to 10 years.

The development came after Sia’s family submitted her written statement to Inspector Manoj Kumar, Station House Officer of Gurugram’s Sector-56 police station. The police are also recording her detailed statement as part of the investigation.

The Gurugram police have maintained that lawlessness will not be tolerated and said they are committed to taking strict action against those responsible.

Meanwhile, Sia on Wednesday appealed for strict punishment for all four occupants of the car, saying it was necessary to send the right message to society regarding women’s safety.

Speaking to media, Sia said she had “great expectations” from the court and wanted justice in the case. “I stated in court yesterday that all four, who were in the car, should be arrested and that strict action taken against all of them. In my opinion, they should face harsh consequences; that is the only way to send a message to such young men—so that anyone thinking of committing such an act would think twice,” she said.

Reacting to the accused’s reported claim that he was in a hurry to use the restroom, Sia said the explanation was “despicable”, stating that the entire incident had been recorded on video. She said that had the dashcam on her bike not recorded the incident, she “probably wouldn’t have even been able to justify what happened”. “So many women, who might be heading to work, have to face this kind of harassment. They don’t have cameras, and often, cases like this don’t even get registered,” she said.

Sia reiterated that all four occupants of the car should face action, saying: “All four must be punished; only then can we set an example for our society.”

New Delhi, Sep 16: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President Nitin Nabin will undertake a two-day visit to Indore and Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, from Thursday, September 17.

The visit comes amid BJP’s preparations to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi completion of 25 years in public service and his birthday under the party’s nationwide ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’. The ‘Swamitva Scheme’ event in Indore is one of the key highlights of his visit to state.

Nabin will also light ‘Ashirvad Ka Diya’ at Ujjain’s Ram Ghat, leading the celebrations to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25 years of public service.

Nabin is scheduled to arrive at the Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport in Indore in the afternoon on September 17, where senior BJP office-bearers and party workers will welcome him.

After participating in local programmes, the BJP President will reach Gandhi Nagar Ground where he will take part in an event organised under the ‘Swamitva Scheme’.

During the programme, he will formally inaugurate the new statewide registration process under the scheme.

Towards the evening, Nabin will head to Ujjain, where he will participate in the ‘Maa Shipra Aarti’ at Ram Ghat.

As part of the ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’, the BJP chief will light the ‘Ashirvad Ka Diya’ at the banks of the Shipra river, amid a large-scale devotional programme.

According to the BJP, lakhs of illuminated diyas will be lit up at the Ram Ghat during the programme, creating a festive and spiritual atmosphere along the banks of the river.

Nabin will also attend a ‘Bhajan Sandhya’ organised at the ghat.

On the second and final day of his visit to the state on September 18, Nitin Nabin will offer prayers at Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple, attend the sacred ‘Bhasma Aarti’ ritual at the renowned Jyotirlinga temple and also perform traditional worship rituals.

The two-day visit will combine BJP’s organisational and public welfare programmes with religious and spiritual engagements in Indore and Ujjain as part of the party’s nationwide activities marking Prime Minister Modi’s 25 years of public service.