Chandigarh, September 5: Around 85,000 Punjab government employees recruited after July 17, 2020, are set to receive a substantial increase in their dearness allowance, with the state administration preparing to elevate the rate from 42 per cent to 60 per cent. The announcement was made by Industries Minister Aman Arora following recommendations from a dedicated Cabinet Sub-Committee formed to look into staff grievances. The panel, which includes Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Social Security Minister Dr Baljit Kaur alongside Arora, framed the proposal to help reconcile financial differences among state personnel.
This adjustment carries notable significance as employees joining after July 2020 were placed on Central pay scales, which offered lower returns compared to the Sixth Punjab Pay Commission scales enjoyed by those hired earlier. Arora affirmed that the initiative encompasses 71,000 staff members engaged under the current administration as well as 14,000 individuals brought on during the previous tenure. He maintained that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann guided the committee toward resolving these structural disparities, adding that the formal proposal is now being forwarded to the Chief Minister for final approval.
The government continues to engage in constructive dialogue with various staff representatives to address ongoing service-related matters. Senior ministers recently expressed a firm readiness to collaborate with employee associations and pensioners to discuss broad welfare initiatives. Official records indicate that Punjab manages a total workforce of roughly four lakh government employees along with three and a half lakh pensioners across the state.
