West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said state government employees will receive a 20 per cent additional dearness allowance (DA) and their October salaries before Durga Puja. The Chief Minister also said he is committed to reducing the dearness allowance gap between central and state government employees. He also stated that the government is planning to implement the 7th Pay Commission this fiscal. He said that terms of reference (ToR) for the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) have already been prepared and would be constituted once finalised.
Chief Minister gives instructions to the Finance Minister and Finance Secretary
Addressing an event at Bhawani Bhavan, the West Bengal Police headquarters, the Chief Minister said, “I have asked the Finance Secretary and the Finance Minister to release the October salaries before Durga Puja. I have also directed them to release an additional 20 per cent dearness allowance for the Puja month.”
Huge difference of 42 per cent in DA between the Centre and the state government employees
State government employees typically receive their salaries on the last day of each month. If this decision is implemented, employees will receive their salaries well in advance of the Durga Puja festival, which falls in mid-October this year. The Chief Minister said that as announced in the state government’s budget, the additional 20 per cent dearness allowance will be effective from October.
“There is a 42 per cent difference in DA between the central and state governments. We cannot eliminate this gap overnight; it will take time,” he added.
Earlier in May, a DA hike was announced for government employees of Arunachal Pradesh.
The Chief Minister said that officers below the IPS rank had not received adequate attention in the past, and that police personnel, like other state government employees, had faced financial difficulties in the past few years.
He said that many states had revised the pay structure of their employees, but this had not happened here. “You have not received the benefits of the Seventh Pay Commission. We have constituted the commission and will implement its recommendations as soon as it submits its report in the next few months,” Suvendu Adhikari said.
Earlier, he promised an investor-friendly ecosystem with improved law and order, easier land availability and employment-linked incentives in the state.
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(This article is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, financial, or other advice.)
