There is important news for central employees. The central government has made a big change in the dress allowance (clothing allowance, kit maintenance, shoes, gown, and other essential items) given under the 7th Pay Commission, which will be implemented in July 2025. This change has been notified through an office memorandum issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
According to the order, new central employees who will join government jobs after July 2025 will not get the full dress allowance every year. Rather, they will get only a part of it according to the date of joining the service. How much amount they will get as dress allowance will be decided on the basis of the joining date of the employee.
This is the new formula
(Annual dress allowance ÷ 12) × Months remaining after joining the job till next June. If an employee starts the job in September, he will get an allowance for a total of 10 months from September to June. If an employee joins in October 2025, he will get an allowance for November–June i.e. 9 months. If the annual allowance is Rs 10,000, then (10,000÷12)×9 = ₹7,500 will be given.
Who will the rule apply to
For employees who retire after July 2025, the old rules will remain applicable for now. According to the current system, if an employee retires after December, he will be given a full dress allowance. Whereas those who retire by December get half the allowance.
Current employees joining before 1 July 2025 will get the full amount of allowance as before. No change has been made in the amount of allowance. Rs 5,000 is fixed for general employees, Rs 10,000 – for employees wearing uniforms, and Rs 20,000 – for special services like armed forces.
5 major changes in CGHS
Recently, the Central Government has also made changes to the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS). The Ministry of Health has launched a new HMIS portal and mobile app, through which beneficiaries can now book appointments, download e-cards, and avail of medical services from home. Employees and pensioners will now get all the information on the new integrated CGHS digital platform at www.cghs.mohfw.gov.in.
They can avail of all online services including registration, application, grievance redressal, and information receipt only through this new portal. The department will be included on the new CGHS platform for a paperless approval process.
Meanwhile, departments can continue to submit applications physically in the respective CGHS card sections. All beneficiaries above the age of 18 years are advised to link their PAN card with the CGHS beneficiary ID and apply for correction through the beneficiary login on the website in case of any error.
Major improvements in the new CGHS HMIS
- PAN-based unique identification
- Integrated digital verification and contribution tracking
- Pre-payment checking of applications
- Online card modification services
- Real-time application tracking and alerts
- Mandatory password reset and secure access
- DDO/PAO-based department identification
- Mobile application redesign
Access to digital CGHS card, real-time status tracking, e-referral, and appointment scheduling (where applicable) Integrated interaction with helpdesk and A.D. offices