In a good news ahead of Diwali, the Himachal Pradesh government has announced a salary increase for its employees and pensioners. Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu announced a 3 per cent hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) for all state government employees and pensioners. The announcement was made on Wednesday during the inauguration of the Biennial General Convention of the Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board Employees Union in Shimla, just hours after Karnataka announced a similar DA hike.
DA is a special allowance given to government employees and pensioners based on their basic salary to help offset inflation.
When will employees get the increased salary?
According to CM Sukhu, the 3 per cent DA hike will be included in employees’ and pensioners’ October salaries, which are payable in November. The arrears for the period April to September 2025 will also be credited to bank accounts in October. Separate orders will be issued for arrears from July 2023 to March 2025.
The Chief Minister also said that after discussions with union leaders, the government will consider providing a One Pension Scheme (OPS) to employees.
Centre announces DA hike
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on October 1 approved a 3 per cent increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) for Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) for pensioners, effective from July 1, 2025.
The hike raises the current rate from 55 per cent to 58 per cent of basic pay or pension, according to a Cabinet release.
This increase, aimed at offsetting the impact of inflation, will benefit around 49.19 lakh Central Government employees and 68.72 lakh pensioners.
