Rajasthan approves 4% hike in Dearness Allowance for state govt employees, pensioners ahead of Lok Sabha polls

livemint.com:

Bhajanlal Sharma government in Rajasthan on Thursday announced a 4% hike in dearness allowance (DA) of state government employees and pensioners ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The decision to hike the dearness allowance by 4% was taken in the state cabinet meeting held in Jaipur on Thursday evening. Speaking with the media after the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma said in line with the central government employees, his government has increased the dearness allowance by 4 %.

The decision will benefit around 8 lakh employees and 4.40 lakh pensioners. "Earlier, 46 per cent dearness allowance was being given to the state government employees. We have increased it by four per cent to 50 per cent," the Rajasthan chief minister said "From 1st January 2024, dearness allowance will be hiked by 4%, bringing it to 50%.

Earlier, state government employees and pensioners were given a 46% dearness allowance. We have hiked it by 4%. This decision will benefit around 8 lakh employees and 4.40 lakh pensioners...," he said.

“The 4% hike in dearness allowance will put an additional burden of about ₹1,640 crore on the state government annually", the chief minister added. "Everyone's support, everyone's development, everyone's trust...Our government, dedicated to good governance, has increased the dearness allowance of state employees by 4%, this will benefit 8 lakh employees and 4 lakh 40 thousand pensioners," Sharma posted on X ( formerly known as Twitter) in Hindi. Our state employees, symbols of hard work, will benefit from this decision.