3 weeks ago
Bengal notifies 38% DA hike for employees, pensioners
Sometimes prices of things like food and clothes go up, so governments give workers extra money called a dearness allowance to help them buy what they need.
The government of West Bengal, a state in India, announced that it will give its workers and retired workers this extra money.
The new amount will start from October 1.
This happens just before a big festival called Durga Puja, which many people celebrate.
Different groups of workers will get different amounts of extra money.
Some workers under an older pay system will get a bigger boost, from 171% to 223%.
Workers who are paid daily will get a small extra amount each day.
The leader of the state, Suvendu Adhikari, said the government wants to slowly reduce the gap between what it pays and what the national government pays.
A new commission has also been set up to study salaries and decide what workers should earn in the future.
West Bengal notified a 38% dearness allowance and dearness relief hike for state government employees and pensioners, effective from 1 October.
The hike covers state employees, pensioners, statutory bodies, panchayats, municipal bodies and staff of government-aided educational institutions.
Employees under the 5th Pay Commission will receive DA at 223%, up from the existing 171%, and eligible ROPA 2009 pensioners will get DR at 223%.
Daily-rated workers will receive an ad hoc increase of ₹110 in daily wages with effect from 1 October 2026.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the state aims to reduce the 42% DA gap with the Centre and implement the 7th state pay commission within FY27.
- Who
- West Bengal state government employees, pensioners and daily-rated workers, with the announcement led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari
- What
- A 38% dearness allowance and dearness relief hike, plus a ₹110 daily wage increase for daily-rated workers
- Where
- West Bengal, India
- When
- Announced on 4 August, effective from 1 October
- Why
- To release the hikes before Durga Puja festivities and work toward reducing the DA gap with the central government
Key facts
- DA rate (6th CPC)
- 38% of revised basic pay
- DA rate (5th CPC)
- 223%, up from 171%
- DR rate (ROPA 2009)
- 223% until revised pensions are implemented
- Effective date
- 1 October
- Daily wage increase
- ₹110 per day for daily-rated workers
- DA gap with Centre
- 42%
- Announcement date
- 4 August
- 7th pay commission
- Constituted; implementation targeted within FY27
Quotes
A senior bureaucrat at the West Bengal state secretariat
West Bengal state secretariat official
“Administrative departments have been empowered to issue the necessary orders so that the revised DA and DR are released from October 1 without any procedural delay.”
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“There is a 42% DA gap between the Centre and the state. We cannot bridge that gap overnight; it will take time.”
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