The central government is set to raise the dearness allowance (DA) for its over crore employees and pensioners by 3 per cent, taking the total to 50 per cent from 53 per cent. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting this morning, weeks ahead of Diwali.
This comes as a major relief to central government employees amid the festive season.
DA is given to government employees and pensioners to compensate them for increasing prices. Revised periodically twice a year, this allowance is calculated on the basis of the latest consumer price index for industrial workers.