The state government of West Bengal has announced a rise in Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief, which is fantastic news for the state's employees, retirees, and family pensioners.
The amended basic salary and non-allowance will be used to calculate DA. The base salary and DA shall be determined in the absence of any other allowances. Teachers and other staff members of institutions receiving government assistance, as well as those employed by municipal authorities, will also be subject to the enhanced DA.
The pension disbursing authority will be in charge of determining the amount of dearness relief on the amended pension and allocating the amount of pension in each specific case. The DA granted to employees by the federal government would still be 32% greater, a state government employee pointed out, notwithstanding this rise.
Equalization of DA with the center is demanded by several groups representing state government employees. State government employee organizations staged a 48-hour "pen down" protest earlier this week, disobeying the call to action.
Government workers, pensioners, and family pensioners who have been bearing the weight of rising inflation would be relieved by the state government's statement. Their ability to better control their spending and lessen their financial load will be aided by the increase in DA. This increase is a positive move even if there is still a continued desire for DA to be equalized with the federal government.
How much salary can central government employees expect?
In September 2022, the national government hiked the DA by 4%, bringing it from 34% to 38%. Recent sources indicate that central government personnel may also be eligible for this time's 4% DA boost. Sadly, no official announcement has yet been made. The decision on DA increments is eagerly awaited by central government workers as Holi 2023 approaches quickly.
This time, the increase in DA and DR will benefit 68 lakh retirees and 48 lakh central government employees. Government employees' salaries will automatically increase under the 7th CPC if the DA request is allowed.
The current DA would increase by 4%, from 38% to 42%. The Government may create a new commission, according to some sources in the interim, although the 8th Pay Commission was not mentioned in the recently-delivered Union Budget.
