India, Oct. 28 -- The Union government has granted a 3% hike in the Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners, effective from July 1, 2026. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has made the announcement on Wednesday. After the increase, DA and DR will be increased from 60% to 63% of basic pay or pension. This increase will provide financial relief to the employees and pensioners due to price hikes.

Over 1 Crore Central Government Employees And Pensioners To Benefit

The DA and DR allowance hike of 3% will help about 48 lakhs of Central Government employees and 68 lakhs of pensioners, increasing the total beneficiary count to 1.16 crore. As per Vaishnaw, the hike will lead to an extra expens...