New Delhi, Oct. 18 -- In line with the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) recommendations, the government hikes dearness allowance (DA) biannually using data from the All-India Consumer Price Index (AICPI). Over 1 crore beneficiaries, comprising about 50 lakh central government employees and nearly 65 lakh pensioners, including defence and railway personnel and retirees, gain from DA and Dearness Relief (DR) hikes.

DA is a percentage of employees' basic pay that aims to mitigate the impact of the rising cost of living and inflation. Notably, announcements from the Centre come in March and October, with rollouts in January and July. The last hike was announced in April this year, when the Finance Ministry increased DA from 58% to 60% of bas...