Before Diwali, employees and pensioners of Punjab have received a big gift. The Bhagwant Mann government of the state has announced the release of installments along with a 3 percent increase in the Dearness Allowance (DA) of government employees. The same increase in dearness relief will be applicable for pensioners also. About 8 lakh employees and pensioners will benefit from this decision of the government.
After this 3 percent increase, the DA figure in Punjab has now reached the level of 53 percent. That means employees will get 53 percent dearness allowance of their basic salary as per their pay scale.
Amount of Rs 3,988 crore approved
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that for this increase the government is releasing 3 percent DA installment. In view of the festivals, a total amount of Rs 3,988 crore will be transferred to the accounts of the employees. He said that the state government is continuously taking steps for the welfare of government employees and pensioners, so that there is a difference in their lifestyle and they can celebrate the festival with enthusiasm.
Total increase in DA by 11 percent in the current government
The Chief Minister said that during the tenure of the present government, the dearness allowance of Punjab employees has been increased by a total of 11 percent so far. Employee organizations have welcomed this step of the government.
LIVE from Important Press Conference, Chandigarh ——- LIVE from Important Press Conference, Chandigarh https://t.co/CVf1qKsrga
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) November 4, 2026
Referring to employment, the Chief Minister said that his government has given 71,777 new government jobs to the youth on the basis of transparent selection process and merit. He assured the employees that the government is always ready to discuss their demands and problems. Employees can contact the government at any time to express their views.
Central government and many states increased dearness allowance
Before this, the Central Government has also given official approval to the 3 percent increase in dearness allowance of employees and dearness relief of pensioners. With this the rate of DA and DR has increased to 63 percent. A total of development and welfare packages worth Rs 29,267 crore were also approved in the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.
Before Diwali, many state governments have also announced to increase the dearness allowance of employees. These include Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. Tamil Nadu has increased DA by 3 percent, while Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan have increased it by 2 percent each.
Source: ndtv.in
