Assembly elections are just around the corner. Before that, the state government has made a big decision to please government employees. Recently, the central government announced a three percent increase in DA (Dearness Allowance). After that, the state also decided to quickly raise the DA of its employees.
The venue is Bihar. A few weeks before the assembly elections, the Bihar government has decided to increase the DA of state government employees by three percent, following the central government’s move. On Friday, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chowdhury said that as a “festival gift,” the three percent Dearness Allowance for state employees and the three percent Dearness Relief for pensioners are being increased.
Bihar Govt’s Big DA Decision
The Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar said that the decision to increase DA will cause an additional expense of ₹917.78 crore from the state treasury in the current financial year. Samrat Chowdhury said, “The state government is committed to ensuring that lakhs of government employees and pensioners do not suffer due to rising prices.” He called this DA hike a gift for Diwali and Chhath.
DA Increase Details
The increased DA will be effective from July 2025. Earlier, Bihar government employees and pensioners were getting 55% DA. Now, it has been increased to 58%.
On Wednesday, the central government also announced a 3% DA hike for its employees under the Seventh Pay Commission, raising it from 55% to 58%. The same rate will now apply to Bihar government employees. Meanwhile, West Bengal government employees are currently receiving DA at the rate of 18%.