New Delhi, June 3 -- Dearness Allowance (DA) is the salary component aimed at addressing inflationary pressures for central government employees, public sector staff, defense personnel, bank employees and pensioners. It is part of employees' basic pay and fluctuates based on inflation.

The Centre's 8th pay commission (8th CPC) is conducting meetings with employee representative groups, unions and stakeholders to gather recommendations on pay hikes, allowances, salary structure, and more. Constituted every 10 years, the panel is expected to make significant decisions impacting salaries of central government employees and pensioners, including railways and defence staff by mid-2027.

As many as 50 lakh central government employees, includi...