Government Employees in Uttar Pradesh to Receive DA Hike, Benefit for 18 Lakh Employees

*Lucknow.* Following the central government, the Uttar Pradesh government has now increased the Dearness Allowance (DA) for state employees by 4 percent. The state employees will benefit from this DA hike starting January 2024. Approximately 10 lakh state employees and 8 lakh teachers in the state will benefit from this increase. Uttar Pradesh's Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) Deepak Kumar has issued orders related to the Dearness Allowance. Prior to this, the central government had announced a 4 percent increase in Dearness Allowance for over one crore employees and pensioners starting from January 1st. In a cabinet meeting held on February 7th, approval was given for a 4 percent increase in DA and DR rates.

**DA Raised to 50 Percent**

Nearly 10 lakh employees and 8 lakh teachers in Uttar Pradesh will now receive 50 percent Dearness Allowance instead of the previous 46 percent. With the increase in Dearness Allowance, the state government will bear an additional burden of around 350 crore rupees.

**Arrears to be Deposited in PF Accounts**

The increased Dearness Allowance will be effective from January 1st, 2024. Therefore, the arrears for January and February will be deposited into the employees' PF accounts. The DA for March will be paid along with the April salary. Employees who are not members of PF will receive it in their PPF accounts or in the form of NSC.

**Benefit for Pensioners**

The decision to increase Dearness Allowance will also benefit pensioners. After the state government's decision, the Dearness Relief for 12 lakh pensioners will also increase by four percent. However, the order to provide increased Dearness Allowance to pensioners has not been issued yet but is expected to be released soon. This will provide relief to people from rising inflation.

The increase in Dearness Allowance will benefit regular and full-time employees of state government employees, aided educational institutions, and technical education institutions. According to the decision, the Dearness Allowance will be paid in cash along with the March salary for employees.