BJP govt announces 20-percentage-point DA increase in maiden Bengal Budget
Kolkata, June 22
The Suvendu Adhikari government on Monday announced a 20-percentage-point increase in dearness allowance for state government employees in its first full Budget after assuming office.
Presenting the Budget for the financial year 2026-27 in the West Bengal Assembly, state Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta announced that the existing DA rate of 18 per cent would be increased by an additional 20 percentage points, taking the total to 38 per cent.
The revised DA rate will come into effect from October 1.
However, despite the increase, the DA for West Bengal government employees will remain below that of central government employees, who currently receive DA at the rate of 60 per cent.
The Centre had earlier raised the DA rate from 58 per cent to 60 per cent, effective from January this year.
Accordingly, the gap between the DA rates of West Bengal government employees and central government employees will remain at 22 percentage points.
It is also expected that the central government may announce another round of DA revision in July, which could widen the gap further before the state's revised DA comes into effect.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari welcomed the proposal and said: "We will give an additional 20 per cent DA from the month of Durga Puja (October). The rest will be done gradually. Wait until another Budget. We will implement the latest pay commission by December."
During the previous Trinamool Congress government, the issue of DA had triggered prolonged protests by a section of state government employees demanding parity with central government employees and payment of pending arrears.
The Trinamool Congress government had announced a four-percentage-point increase in DA in the interim Budget presented in February this year.
The then Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya had announced the increase, while former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had maintained that payment of DA at central rates was not mandatory, citing the state's financial constraints.
A case related to the issue remains pending before the High Court.
The BJP government has sought to address the concerns of government employees over DA in its first Budget after coming to power.
In addition, the process of paying outstanding DA arrears has also begun.
In the Budget document, Swapan Dasgupta said: "The state government employees, semi-government employees, teachers and non-teaching staff play an important role in the implementation of the government's work and policies. To recognise their contribution, I am happy to announce that an additional 20 per cent dearness allowance will be given on top of the current 18 per cent dearness allowance. That is, the total rate of dearness allowance will be 38 per cent. Pension recipients will also get an additional 20 per cent dearness relief. This increase in dearness allowance or dearness relief will be effective from October 1."
Following the announcement, employee representatives welcomed the move.
An individual named Debashis Shil said: "Our DA has been increased from 18 to 38 per cent. Although it is being said that it will be effective from October, I think government employees will not object to receiving a 20 per cent increase in DA after three to four months. This is an unprecedented increase. We welcome this Budget proposal. We hope that this government, despite the huge financial burden, will gradually be able to bring the state's DA level at par with that of the Centre."
Swapan Mandal, General Secretary of the Bengali Teachers and Education Workers' Association, said: "The government has increased DA by 20 per cent while announcing the Budget. We are satisfied overall. However, it would have been better if it had been implemented from July. We will appeal to the government to settle the remaining 22 per cent DA by December."
— IANS
Reader Comments
Good news for employees, but let's not ignore the gap with central government DA. 38% vs 60% is still a huge difference. The Chief Minister says 'wait until another Budget' - that's just kicking the can down the road again. State finances are tight, I get it, but government employees deserve parity. Let's see if they actually bridge this gap or keep making promises.
I work in the education department and this is a welcome move! 20% hike is unprecedented in Bengal's history. Yes, it should have been from July, but October is still before Durga Puja - perfect timing for the festive season. My colleagues are already planning how to spend the extra money! 🎉 Let's hope the remaining 22% comes soon. Arrears payment starting is also a big relief.
Good politics from BJP - announce a big number before Durga Puja to win employee votes. But state debt is already ₹6 lakh crore. How will they fund this without cutting development projects? The gap with Centre will still be 22%, and if Centre hikes again in July, it'll be even more. A step forward, yes, but don't get too excited. The real test is implementation.
As someone from the US, it's interesting to see how DA works in India. 38% vs 60% still seems like a big gap though. Why can't the state match central government rates if it's that important to employees? I read that the previous government argued financial constraints - is Bengal really that broke compared to the Centre?
A Ashwin V < We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.