7th Pay Commission: Diwali gift to government employees of this state, 30% increase in DA...

Two days before Diwali 2024, the Uttarakhand government led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced a 3 per cent hike in the dearness allowance (DA) of state government employees. Government employees will now get 53 per cent DA hike per month, up from 50 per cent earlier.

According to an official statement, all regular and full-time employees of the state government and UGC officials can avail of the increased DA with retroactive effect from July 1, 2024. It said that the arrears of dearness allowance from July 1, 2024, to September 30, 2024, will be paid in cash. This allowance will be added to the regular salary from October 1, 2024.

However, this order will not automatically apply to High Court judges, chairman and members of Uttarakhand Public Service Commission, and some other categories of employees. The statement said that separate orders will be issued for them. Apart from this, non-gazetted employees and daily wage employees of educational institutions aided by the state government, local bodies, and district panchayats will get the benefit of ad hoc bonuses for 2023-24.

Bonus

As per the order of the Government of India, a 30-day bonus will be given in the maximum limit of Rs 7,000. The bonus will be given to those employees who were in service on March 31, 2024, and who have served continuously for at least six months. The statement said that employees with service ranging from six months to one year will be given bonuses as per their service ratio.

The amount of ad hoc bonus will be calculated on the basis of average receipts for a year. For example, assuming a maximum limit of Rs 7,000, the ad hoc bonus for 30 days will be calculated as Rs 6908. Casual/daily wage workers who have worked at least 240 days (for six days office) every year in the last three years will also be eligible for this bonus.

The bonus for such employees will be Rs 1,184, the statement said. Employees found guilty in departmental disciplinary proceedings or criminal case will not be eligible for the bonus. However, employees reinstated after suspension will be eligible for it.