DA hike: Odisha government increases dearness allowance of employees, pensioners by 11%

DA hike: Odisha state government has increased the dearness allowance (DA) of government employees and pensioners by 11%.

New Delhi: In good news for Odisha employees and pensioners, the state government, on Friday (October 8), announced an 11% increase in the dearness allowance (DA) that will be credited in their bank accounts retrospectively from 1 July 2021. 

The latest increase in the DA of Odisha state government employees and pensioners has come amid the festive season that could increase the spending during the festivities. 

With the latest revision, the DA has now increased 11% to 28%. More than 4 lakh government employees and 3.5 lakh pensioners will benefit from the decision, according to the announcement made by the Chief Minister's Office. 

Increased salary will get credited to the bank accounts of employees and pensioners starting from October 2021. However, the Odisha government has decided to pay the DA arrears of the past three months in cash. 

The recent increase in the DA is similar to the step taken by the Central government in July early this year. At that time, the Central government has announced an 11% hike in DA and DR for central government employees and pensioners. 

With that, the DA and DR of central government employees and pensioners are paid at a 28% rate of their basic salary. The Central government is now also planning to increase the DA and DR by 3% of the employees and pensioners, taking note of the rising inflation. Also Read: Beware! UIDAI warns Aadhaar Card holders against frauds, asks to update mobile number: Here’s how to do it

For those uninitiated, DA or DR is an important part of a salary that keeps on increasing in accordance with inflation. Also Read: Smartphones worth $17 bn likely to be sold in India festive quarter