Punjab CM announces 3% DA hike for government employees and pensioners
The increase will raise the dearness allowance rate to 53 per cent and benefit approximately 8 lakh people.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday announced a 3 per cent hike in dearness allowance (DA) for state government employees and pensioners. According to reports from Moneycontrol, News18 and The Tribune, the decision is intended as a Diwali gift.
The revised DA and dearness relief (DR) will come into effect from November 1. The enhanced amounts will be reflected in the salaries and pensions paid in December. This latest revision brings the total DA rate to 53 per cent, up from the previous 50 per cent.
The Chief Minister stated that the government has increased the DA rate by 11 percentage points within the last two months. This follows an 8 percentage point increase announced in September. Mann noted that when the AAP government took office in 2022, the DA rate was 28 per cent.
The hike is expected to benefit around 8 lakh employees and pensioners. Mann said on X that the increase would provide an annual financial benefit of approximately Rs 3,988 crore. The Tribune reported that the hike will entail an additional expenditure of Rs 330 crore.
Regarding employment, Mann said the government has provided 71,777 government jobs on a merit basis. He added that another 600 appointments would be made shortly. He also stated that the doors remain open for employees to discuss their demands.