Chandigarh, Nov 4: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday announced a three per cent increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) for state government employees and pensioners. The enhancement is set to benefit approximately four lakh active employees and 3.5 lakh pensioners, involving an additional state expenditure of Rs 330 crore. The updated allowance will be released in December alongside the salaries and pensions for November.
Addressing the media, Chief Minister Mann affirmed that public servants form the backbone of state administration and maintained that the government remains open to dialogue regarding employee welfare. With this latest decision, the total DA rate rises to 53 per cent. The Chief Minister noted that the state has increased DA by 11 percentage points over the last two months, bringing cumulative outgo to Rs 3,988 crore, while also asserting that over 71,000 appointments have been facilitated during the current term.
