Mamata announces 4% DA hike for state government employees from January 1

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced that her government will give a four percent increase in dearness allowance (DA) to all its employees from New Year’s Day.
Banerjee made the announcement at the inauguration of the Kolkata Christmas Carnival 2023 at Allen Park in the Park Street area of the city.

Banerjee said, “I announce that all 14 lakh state government employees, teaching and non-teaching staff of all schools, colleges and universities, and employees of all statutory undertakings and parastatals and pensioners will get 4 per cent salary from January 1, 2024.” You will get another installment of DA.

Saying that the provision of DA is mandatory for the Central government while it is “optional” for the state, Banerjee said her government will have to bear an additional expenditure of Rs 2,400 crore for the DA hike.

“For us, DA is not mandatory but optional. Keeping their well-being in mind, we are increasing DA by 4 per cent,” he said.

Government employees of West Bengal have been protesting for almost a year demanding increase in DA.

They also demand regularization of DA and bringing it at par with its central government counterparts. The current difference is about 36 percent.