Union Cabinet approves 2 per cent increase in Dearness Allowance for central government employees, Dearness Relief for pensioners

ANI
18 Apr 2026, 17:30 GMT+10

New Delhi [India], April 18 (ANI): The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved release of an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners from January 1, 2026.

It represents an increase of two per cent over the existing rate of 58 per cent of the Basic Pay/Pension, to compensate against price rise.

Briefing about the cabinet decisions, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the decision will benefit over 50 lakh Central Government employees and over 68 lakh pensioners.

'Another very big decision was taken today. I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations. DA and DR have been increased for all our central government employees and pensioners, which will cost the Government of India a total of Rs. 6,791 crore. Basically, DA and DR will become 60% of the basic pay from January 1, 2026. It has been increased by 2%, from 58% to 60%. It will become 60% of the basic pay. There are a total of about 50 lakh employees and 68 lakh pensioners of the Government of India. This will be a huge benefit for all of them,' he said.

This increase is in accordance with the accepted formula, which is based on the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission, an official release said. (ANI)

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Broadcast Communications.

More Information

Business

Section

Dow Jones surges 869 points on Strait of Hormuz opening

NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks shot higher on Friday, with major indices notching up record highs intra-day and at the close. Earlier...

Pentagon reliance on SpaceX faces scrutiny after Starlink outage

WASHINGTON, D.C.: A Starlink outage that disrupted U.S. Navy drone tests off the California coast has highlighted growing concerns...

Male dominance continues among Europe’s highest-paid bankers

LONDON, U.K.: A surge in high-paying banking jobs across Europe has done little to close the gender gap at the top of the financial...

Iran war drives surge in US oil exports toward record levels

HOUSTON, Texas: A sharp disruption to Middle East oil flows has pushed the United States to the brink of becoming a net crude exporter...

Dow Jones rises 123 points as Israel-Lebanon truce is agreed

NEW YORK, New York - Major U.S. stock indexes finished Thursday's trading session in positive territory, driven by technology sector...

Pizza giants edge toward sale amid cost pressures, weak demand

NEW YORK CITY, New York: Two of the largest names in the U.S. pizza market are moving closer to potential sales, as mounting cost pressures...

Sectors - Broadcasting

Section

India: Proposed Rules to Expand Online Censorship

(New York) - The Indian government should immediately withdraw rules that would allow greater executive control over online content...

Over 50 lakh employees, 68 lakh pensioners to benefit from Centre's decision to hike DA, Dearness Relief

New Delhi [India], April 18 (ANI): The Union Cabinet's decision on Saturday to increase DA allowance of central government employees...

Union Cabinet approves 2 per cent increase in Dearness Allowance for central government employees, Dearness Relief for pensioners

New Delhi [India], April 18 (ANI): The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved release of an additional...