7th Pay Commission: Great news for West Bengal government employees, pensioners and family pensioners as the state government has announced an increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief. The DA will be at a rate of 6 percent of basic pay and will be effective from March 1, 2023. The announcement has been made under the 7th Pay Commission to provide relief from inflation.
The calculation of DA will be done based on the revised basic pay and non-allowance. If there is no other allowance, then the basic pay and DA will be calculated. The increased DA will also apply to teachers and other employees of government-aided institutions, as well as employees of local bodies. In the case of pension, it will be the responsibility of the pension disbursing authority to calculate the amount of dearness relief on the revised pension and allocate the amount of pension in each individual case.
However, despite this increase, a state government employee pointed out that the DA given to employees by the central government would still be 32 percent higher. Several state government employee organizations are demanding equalization of DA with the center. Earlier this week, a 48-hour 'pen down' movement was organized by state government employee organizations, ignoring the warning of action.
This announcement by the state government is a welcome relief for government employees, pensioners, and family pensioners who have been facing the brunt of rising inflation. The increase in DA will help them to manage their expenses better and provide some relief to their financial burden. While the demand for equalization of DA with the central government is still ongoing, this increase is a step in the right direction.
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