Now, DA at 3% for govt employees drawing salary of more than Rs 2.01L a month

Kolkata: In an unprecedented move of the Mamata Banerjee government, the state government employees who draw more than Rs 2.01 lakh pay per month will also get dearness allowance (DA) at 3 per cent of their revised basic pay.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced on December 3 about her government's decision of increasing the DA by 3 despite the financial crisis due to Covid situation and the Centre still owes around Rs 85,000 crore to the state. Subsequently, the state finance department had issued a notification stating that "the respective administrative department may sanction the benefit of Dearness Allowance at 3 percent of revised basic pay from January 1 to the employees' concerned drawing basic pay up to Rs. 2.01 lakh".

With the decision of the state government to give the similar benefit to the employees those are drawing more than Rs 2.01 lakh, the Finance department has issued a fresh notification stating that "the state government employees and the employees including of boards, corporations, educational institutions drawing pay more than Rs 2.01 lakh will also get DA at 3 percent of the revised basic pay" from January itself.

According to a senior official, this is an unprecedented move as this is the first time when employees receiving pay above Rs 2.01 lakh are going to derive the benefit. Again, the pay of the state government employees hike with recent revision on pay structure as per the recommendation of the 6 th Pay Commission. "So now there is a good number of employees who will be benefitted with the decision of allowing 3 percent DA for those who draw more than Rs 2.01 lakh," the official said.

Manoj Chakraborty of Paschimbanga Rajya Sarkari Karmachari Federation said: "It is something unprecedented as never before it has taken place in view of the welfare of the employees."