Thiruvananthapuram: The state government has raised the Dearness Allowance (DA) for government employees, teachers, and All India Service officers along with the Dearness Relief (DR) for pensioners, by 2%. This hike will come into effect from April 1. The government will issue an official order regarding this on Monday.
With this revision, the DA will rise from 7 to 9 per cent. Class 4 employees with a basic salary of Rs 23,000 will see an increase of Rs 460. Although the increase has a retrospective effect from January 1, 2021, it is unclear how the outstanding dues will be dealt with. Due to the financial challenges faced by the government, arrears cannot be paid in cash. However, if merged with the provident fund, the central government will offset the amount against the borrowing limit.
Outstanding Dearness Allowance of 19% is yet to be disbursed in six instalments. The DA for college, engineering college, and medical college teachers was raised to 31% (currently 17%), while for judicial officers, it was increased to 46% (currently 38%). Similarly, the DA for All India Service officers, including IAS, IPS, and IFS, was raised to 46% (currently 42%). The adjustment for DR for retirees follows the same pattern.
