DA hike: West Bengal govt notifies 38% dearness allowance, wage increase for employees from 1 October

The West Bengal government this week notified a 38% dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) hike for state government employees and pensioners, with effect from 1 October — ahead of Durga Puja festivities, as per a PTI report. This comes after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the government was working on the timeline, it added.

As per the notification issued by the state Finance Department, current employees will receive DA at 38% of their revised basic pay under the sixth pay commission (6th CPC), while pension for eligible retirees will also be calculated at the revised rate, according to the report.

West Bengal DA hike: Who will benefit?

According to the announcement made on Tuesday (4 August), the DA and DR hikes will benefit:

• State government employees.
• State government pensioners and family pensioners.
• Employees of statutory bodies.
• Employees of government undertakings.
• Employees of panchayats.
• Employees of municipalities.
• Employees of municipal corporations and other local bodies, and
• Teaching and non-teaching staff of government-aided educational institutions.

DA hike under 5th CPC, ROPA 2009 rules: Top updates

• According to the notification, those employees still drawing salaries under the 5th CPC will get DA at 223%, up from the existing 171%, from 1 October.

• Further, pensioners and family pensioners whose pensions are yet to be revised under the Revision of Pay and Allowances (ROPA) 2009 rules will also receive DR at 223% until their revised pensions are implemented, it added.

According to the notification, DA would be calculated on revised basic pay and non-practising allowance (NPA), wherever applicable, and would exclude all other allowances.

• For daily-rated workers whose remuneration is not covered under statutory provisions such as the Minimum Wages Act, the government has announced an ad hoc increase of ₹110 in daily wages, with effect from 1 October 2026.

DA, DR hike to come before Durga Puja

A senior bureaucrat at the West Bengal state secretariat told the news agency that the notification operationalises CM Adhikari's announcement that the government would release DA and DR hike before Durga Puja festivities.

“Administrative departments have been empowered to issue the necessary orders so that the revised DA and DR are released from 1 October without any procedural delay. The objective is to ensure uniform implementation across all government departments and aided institutions while adhering to the state's financial commitments,” the official added.

The notification authorises the administrative departments concerned to sanction enhanced DA and DR for employees and pensioners under their control without seeking any further approval from the Finance Department, as per the report.

‘Committed to reducing DA gap’: CM Adhikari

Addressing a programme at Bhavani Bhavan, headquarters of the West Bengal police, in Kolkata on 28 July, Adhikari had reiterated that the state is committed to reducing the DA gap between its employees and those under the Centre, the report added.

Referring to his government's budget announcement, he said the 20% DA hike would come into effect from October. “There is a 42% DA gap between the Centre and the state. We cannot bridge that gap overnight; it will take time,” he added.

He further said that the government is committed to implementing the 7th state pay commission's recommendations. The panel was set up this month.

Last week, West Bengal officially constituted its 7th pay commission after Adhikari said the government would implement recommendations within the financial year (FY27). According to the commission's terms of reference (ToR), it will review allowances, salaries and service conditions for state government employees and pensioners.

(With inputs from PTI)