Karnataka government employees and pensioners will receive a higher dearness allowance (DA) after the state government approved an increase from 14.25 per cent to 15.75 per cent of basic pay.
The revised DA will come into effect from 1 January, 2026, according to an order issued by the state Finance Department. The increased allowance will be paid along with salaries for May.
The hike will benefit a wide section of employees and retirees across the state administration. Apart from regular government staff, the revised DA is also applicable to employees working in state-run boards and corporations, pensioners and family pensioners.
The order further covers pension beneficiaries from aided educational institutions as well as employees working under pay structures linked to the University Grants Commission, All India Council for Technical Education and Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
The government said separate orders would be issued for employees and pensioners under UGC, AICTE and ICAR pay structures, along with judicial officers covered under the National Judicial Pay Commission framework.
According to Karnataka State Government Employee Association, the DA revision is expected to benefit nearly 5.25 lakh state government employees. In addition, around three lakh employees working in various boards and corporations and nearly 4.5 lakh pensioners across the state are also expected to gain from the revised allowance.
Dearness Allowance revisions are typically implemented to help employees and pensioners offset the impact of inflation and rising living costs. The latest increase comes amid continued demands from government employee unions for periodic salary and allowance revisions in line with inflation trends.
