New Delhi, June 23 -- The All India Defence Employees' Federation (AIDEF) has requested the 8th Pay Commission to review and reconsider the index used to calculate Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR). They said that the current methodology used in the calculation may not reflect the actual cost of living and inflationary pressures.

Currently, the DA and DR are calculated using the 12-month average of the All India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (AICPI-IW). This index serves as the benchmark for compensating central government employees and pensioners for inflation.

The primary objective of this index is to provide employees and pensioners with much-needed relief against rising expenses, day-to-day inflation and...