Guwahati: In a landmark move ahead of the Rongali Bihu celebrations, the Assam government on Friday approved a 2 percentage point hike in the Dearness Allowance (DA) for state government employees.
With this increase, the DA now stands at 55 per cent—reportedly the highest among all Indian states—Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced during a press briefing.
Calling it a “Bihu gift” to government personnel, the chief minister said the decision would benefit approximately 7,38,000 employees and pensioners across the state.
“This is a token of our appreciation for the tireless dedication and hard work of all government staff who play a crucial role in driving Assam’s development forward,” he remarked.
He further stated that the revised DA would be disbursed along with the salary for the previous month, while the arrears accumulated from the hike would be cleared in the salary cycles of April and May.
The announcement follows closely on the heels of a similar 2 percentage point increase in DA and Dearness Relief (DR) announced by the Central Government for its employees.
Assam, however, has now set a new benchmark among Indian states with this move.
