DA Hike Update: Govt Staff May Get Bumper 18% Hike, DA Could Rise From 42% to 60%

Punjab government employees could soon get a major salary boost as the state considers increasing Dearness Allowance from 42% to 60%, an 18% hike aimed at aligning pay with Central Government scales.

This is a big update for about 85,000 government employees. A cabinet minister announced the proposal to raise their DA from 42% to 60%. This hike is mainly for those who joined service after July 17, 2020.

The proposal targets employees hired after July 17, 2020, under the 7th Pay Commission. Out of the 85,000 beneficiaries, about 71,000 were hired by the current government and 14,000 by the previous one.

But hold on, this isn't final yet. A three-member cabinet sub-committee has made the recommendation. Now, it needs Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's approval before an official notification is issued.

If the DA goes up from 42% to 60%, employees will get an extra 18% on their basic pay. This means a salary increase of several thousand rupees per month, depending on the basic pay.

While this is good news for new recruits, about 3.15 lakh senior government employees are not covered by this specific DA hike. They have their own long-pending demands for DA arrears.

To sum it up, there's great news for around 85,000 government employees in Punjab. The state government has proposed to increase their Dearness Allowance (DA) from 42% to 60%, which is a straight 18 percentage point jump.