The Sikkim government has hiked dearness allowance (DA) by four per cent for its employees and pensioners, with effect from July 1, 2023. The decision was taken during the first cabinet meeting of the second Sikkim Krantikari Morcha government on Monday evening (June 10, 2024).The meeting was presided over by Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang. With the four per cent hike, the dearness allowance for government employees and pensioners has gone up to 46 per cent, said officials, according to a PTI report. The increase in DA will have an impact of Rs 174.6 crore on the state exchequer in the current financial year, they added.
Earlier, the West Bengal government t approved a proposal to hike the dearness allowance by four per cent for its employees and pensioners with retrospective effect from April 1 2024.4. The hike was promised in the state budget earlier this year. Employees will get it from the salary of June 1. As a result of the hike, the difference between the DA provided by the Centre and state government was reduced to 32 per cent. After total DA hike reached 50 per cent of the basic pay, various central government bodies, including railways unions, have started demanding for constituting the 8th Pay Commission. Various media reports suggested that the 8th Pay Commission is likely to be implemented from January 2026.