State Government Gifts Employees and Pensioners with DA-DR Hike

The Sikkim government has announced a major gift for its employees and pensioners ahead of Diwali. The government has increased the Dearness Allowance (DA) for employees and the Dearness Relief (DR) for pensioners.

While central government employees eagerly await recommendations from the 8th Pay Commission, state governments are offering gifts to their own employees and pensioners to enhance the festive spirit of Diwali. In this vein, the Sikkim government has raised the DA and DR for its staff and pensioners.

The state government has increased the Dearness Allowance (DA) for employees and Dearness Relief (DR) for pensioners. This decision, announced a month before Diwali, has brought great joy to the state’s employees and pensioners.

DA-DR Hike Percentage

The government issued a circular regarding this on Thursday. According to the circular, for employees and pensioners drawing salaries under the old basic salary structure, the DA and DR have been raised from 257% to 262%. Meanwhile, for those drawing salaries under the revised basic salary structure, the DA and DR have been increased from 58% to 60%.

Pay Hike for 50,000 Employees and Pensioners

The Sikkim government has approximately 50,000 employees and pensioners. According to the state’s Finance Department, the revised DA rates will also apply to contractual employees and work-charged establishment staff (personnel paid under specific projects) who receive salaries based on revised pay scales. For All India Service (AIS) officers drawing salaries under the old pay scale and grade pay structure (based on the 6th Central Pay Commission), the DA has been increased from 257% to 262%. Meanwhile, the Dearness Allowance (DA) for All India Services (AIS) officers—whose salaries are based on the revised basic salary structure following the 7th Central Pay Commission recommendations—has been raised from 58% to 60%. According to a government circular, for the calculation of DA and Dearness Relief (DR), any fraction of 50 paise or more will be rounded off to the next higher rupee, while fractions of less than 50 paise will be ignored.