In a festive boost for government employees and pensioners, the Himachal Pradesh government has announced a 3% increase in Dearness Allowance (DA). Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu revealed the decision during the Biennial General Convention of the Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board Employees Union in Shimla.
The enhanced DA will be released with the October salary, which employees and pensioners will receive in November. Additionally, arrears for the period from April to September 2025 will be credited to their bank accounts in October. The government also plans to issue separate orders for pending arrears between July 2023 and March 2025.
Dearness Allowance is a special component of salary provided to offset the impact of inflation on employees’ purchasing power. This latest revision will bring financial relief to thousands of government workers just ahead of the Diwali season.
The Chief Minister added that the state is also reviewing the feasibility of introducing the One Pension Scheme (OPS) after discussions with union leaders.
The announcement comes shortly after Karnataka increased DA for its employees and pensioners by 2%, raising the rate to 14.25% of the base pay. At the national level, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, earlier approved a 3% DA and Dearness Relief (DR) hike for Central government employees and pensioners, effective from July 1, 2025. This raised the central rate from 55% to 58% of basic pay, benefiting nearly 49 lakh employees and 68 lakh pensioners across India.
With Himachal Pradesh joining the list of states offering festive financial relief, employees can look forward to an increased payout this month, adding cheer to their Diwali celebrations.
