AHMEDABAD, SEP 6
Days ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi festival, the Gujarat government on Monday approved an increase of 11 percent in Dearness Allowance to state government employees and pensioners with retrospective effect from July 1, taking the new rate to 28 percent.
The new DA will be 28 percent following an increase of 11 percent over the existing rate of 17 percent of basic salary, and this was at par with the one being provided to Central government staffers and pensioners, Gujarat Chief Minister Nitin Patel said.
“The Union government, in July, raised DA for its employees from 17 percent to 28 percent. Since the state government usually follows Central DA rates and does revisions accordingly, we too decided to hike the DA from 17 percent to 28 percent, to be effective from July 1,” he told reporters.
“This DA revision will benefit some 9.61 lakh state government and panchayat employees, as well as 4.5 lakh pensioners covered under the 7th Pay Commission. The hike will cost the state exchequer Rs 378 crore every month. The new DA will reflect in the salary of September,” Patel added.
He said July arrears would be paid in October and those of August in January next year.
