Cabinet Clears 2% DA Hike from January 2026 for Govt Employees & Pensioners ( जनवरी 2026 से 2% महंगाई भत्ता वृद्धि – केंद्रीय कर्मचारियों व पेंशनरों हेतु मंत्रिमंडल की स्वीकृति)
Cabinet
Approves 2% DA Hike Effective from January 2026 for Central Government
Employees and Pensioners. In a much-anticipated move, the Union Cabinet,
chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has officially cleared a 2% increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) for Central Government
employees and Dearness Relief (DR) for pensioners
This revision brings the total DA/DR rate to 60%, up from the previous 58%.
Key Highlights of the Announcement:
·
Effective Date: The
revised rate is effective retrospectively from January 1, 2026.
·
Arrears: Employees
and pensioners will be entitled to arrears for the months of January, February,
and March 2026.
·
Beneficiaries: The
move is set to benefit over 50
lakh employees and 68
lakh pensioners, providing relief against the rising cost of living
and inflation.
The 8th Pay Commission Backdrop
This announcement comes at a critical juncture. The 8th Pay
Commission was formally constituted in late 2025, and employee unions under the NC-JCM have
been mounting significant pressure for sweeping changes. Demands currently on
the table include a higher fitment factor, a revised minimum pay of ₹69,000,
and the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).
While the 2%
hike follows the standard formula based on the AICPI-IW (All India
Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers) data for the period ending December 2025, many unions
view this as a temporary measure while they await the broader recommendations
of the 8th CPC.
Cabinet approves additional instalment of
Dearness Allowance to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to
pensioners w.e.f. 01.01.2026
Posted On: 18 APR 2026 3:14PM
by PIB Delhi
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra
Modi has approved to release an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance
(DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners
w.e.f. 01.01.2026 representing an increase of 2% over the existing rate of 58%
of the Basic Pay/Pension, to compensate against price rise.
The combined impact on the exchequer on account of increase in
both Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief would be Rs.6791.24 crore per
annum. This will benefit about 50.46 lakh Central Government employees and
68.27 lakh pensioners.
This increase is in accordance with the accepted formula, which
is based on the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission.
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