Employees' DA increased by 3%; pensioners included

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Finance Department has issued an order increasing the dearness allowance of government employees by 3 percent. With this, the dearness allowance has become 15 percent. Pensioners have also been granted three percent dearness relief. Employees will benefit from this adjustment starting with their April salary (payable in May), while pensioners will receive the increase with their April pension. However, retroactive benefits have not been granted.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has announced a 4% increase in DA for its employees, raising it to 38%. This will also take effect starting April 2025. In addition, DA arrears from January 2022 will be released in April 2025. If retroactive benefits had been provided, employees would have received 39 months’ worth of arrears. Currently, six DA installments remain pending for disbursement.