The Uttar Pradesh government is considering a 4% hike in dearness allowance (DA) for its employees, following the lead of the Central government and other states. This proposal awaits approval from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. If approved, it will benefit over 12 lakh teachers/employees and 7 lakh pensioners in the state.
Once the state cabinet gives the green light, the increased DA will be applicable from July 1, entitling UP government employees and pensioners to arrears from the previous period. The move aligns with the Central government’s decision to increase DA. In May, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s government approved a DA increase with effect from January 2023.
The Central government raised dearness allowance by 4 percentage points on October 18, bringing it to 46% of the basic salary. Additionally, non-gazetted railway staff will receive a bonus equivalent to 78 days of salaries. This move will benefit 48.67 lakh central government employees and 67.95 lakh pensioners. The increased DA and dearness relief (DR) will be applicable from July 1, 2023, and are intended to offset the effects of inflation.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur disclosed that the combined impact on the exchequer, including both DA and DR, would be Rs 12,857 crore annually. Similar increases in DA and DR were implemented in March and September in previous years, effective from January 1 and July 1.
The bonus, equivalent to 78 days’ salaries, will be given to more than 11.07 lakh non-gazetted staff in the Indian Railways, including track maintainers, loco pilots, train managers, station masters, supervisors, technicians, technician helpers, pointsmen, ministerial staff, and other Group ‘C’ staff, excluding the RPF and RPSF personnel.