In a major festive announcement, the Jharkhand government has increased the dearness allowance (DA) for state employees and the dearness relief (DR) for pensioners from 55 per cent to 58 per cent, effective from 1 July, 2025. The decision, taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, will benefit nearly three lakh government employees and pensioners across the state.
The move comes just ahead of Diwali and is seen as a welcome relief for government staff amid rising living costs. The cabinet meeting, which approved 24 proposals, also focused on healthcare, policing, and forest conservation measures.
The cabinet also gave its nod to determine reservation for Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) in urban local bodies based on the Triple Test Formula laid down by the Supreme Court in 2010. This requires states to establish a commission, collect community data, and ensure that total reservations do not exceed 50 per cent.
Environmental and tribal welfare issues were also key discussion points.
In a similar move, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu has announced a 3 per cent hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) for state government employees and pensioners. The decision was made public during the inauguration of the Biennial General Convention of the Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board Employees Union in Shimla, follows a similar move by the Karnataka government earlier in the day.
The DA hike will benefit both serving employees and retirees, providing relief against rising inflation. Dearness Allowance is a cost-of-living adjustment paid to government employees and pensioners, calculated as a percentage of their basic salary to help offset the impact of inflation.
