Dearness allowance to be increased by two per cent; Kerala govt mulls new move ahead of assembly polls

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the setback in the local body elections, there is pressure on the government and the Left Front to release Dearness Allowance arrears to state government employees. Meanwhile, according to the National Price Index in December, government employees may get 2% more DA this month. With this, the employees' DA will increase to 37%. However, only 22% is being given to employees, and the arrears will increase to 15%.

A plan is ongoing to release at least two instalments of the arrears early this year. The DA allowance that was supposed to be received in July 2023 and January 2024 will be released. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will decide whether to announce it in the budget to be presented on January 29 or as a separate announcement before that. Retroactive effect and the corresponding arrears may not be given.

With the additional 2 per cent this month, the DA for central employees will be 60%. Only IAS and IPS officers in the state are being properly granted DA at the central rate.

Kerala ranks first in the country in terms of arrears of DA. The only state with no arrears of DA is Gujarat. In the states of Goa, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Kashmir and Haryana, the arrears are only one per cent.