The National Council (Staff Side)-Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM), representing central government employee unions in India, has outlined nine key demands to the 8th Pay Commission. In a letter dated April 1, 2026, NC-JCM secretary Shiva Gopal Mishra urged the Commission to consider these demands before finalizing its questionnaire on pay, pension, and job-related issues. The requests include provisions for reviewing the National Pension System (NPS) and restoring the Old Pension Scheme, as well as addressing pensioners' rights and welfare provisions for women employees. Additionally, NC-JCM is asking for an extension of the submission deadline to May 31, 2026, and an increase in the response word limit from 500 to 1,000 words to allow for more comprehensive feedback. The Commission has already responded by increasing the character limit for responses to 10,000. Other demands include structured provisions for sub-questions, an increase in the attachment size limit from 2 MB to 10 MB, and the option to submit memorandums via email and hard copy to enhance accessibility and reduce technical barriers.