Kolkata/IBNS, June 22 -- State government employees, including teaching and non-teaching staff, received a major boost in the first budget presented by West Bengal's inaugural Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government as Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta announced a 20 percent hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) on Monday.

The enhanced DA will come into effect from October 1, 2026.

Despite the hike, a 22 percent gap will continue to exist between the DA paid by the Centre and that paid by the West Bengal government.

The DA hike was among the BJP's major electoral promises before the Assembly elections.

The party, which came to power on May 4 for the first time in West Bengal, had pledged to increase DA and constitute the 7th Pay Commission w...