New Delhi, Oct 28, Oct. 29 -- The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a 3 per cent hike in dearness allowance and dearness relief, benefiting over 1.17 crore central government employees and pensioners. Announcing the decision, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken the decision to increase the DA and DR ahead of Diwali.The increase will be effective from July 1, 2026.The increase is expected to benefit approximately 48.54 lakh Central Government employees and 68.71 lakh pensioners across the country.According to the government, the combined annual financial implication of the increase in DA and DR will be Rs 10,016.10 crore, adding to the Centre's exp...