Himachal Pradesh announces 3% DA hike for employees, pensioners ahead of Diwali; when will you get increased salary?

DA Hike News: In a good news ahead of Diwali, employees of the Himachal Pradesh government will see an increase in their salaries as Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu announced a DA hike for employees and pensioners of the state government.

Sukhu announced the release of a 3 per cent Dearness Allowance (DA) for employees and pensioners of the Himachal Pradesh government.

The announcement was made on Wednesday, hours after Karnataka announced a DA hike for employees.

The announcement was made during the inauguration of the Biennial General Convention of the Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board Employees Union in Shimla.

Dearness Allowance is a special allowance usually credited to government employees and pensioners on basis of their base salary to offest inflation.

Himachal Pradesh DA hike: When will you get increased salary?

According to Sukhu, the government will release the increased 3% DA hike salary to employees and pensioners with their October remuneration. Employees and pensioners are expected to get the increased salary payable November.

The arrears for the period from April to September 2025 will also be deposited in the bank accounts of the employees in October. Separate orders will be issued for payment of arrears from July 2023 to March 2025, according to a release.

The Chief Minister said that after discussions with the union leaders, the government would consider providing One Pension Scheme (OPS) to the employees.

Karnataka DA hike

The Himachal DA hike was announced shortly after Karnataka, too, announced a DA hike of 2% to its employees and pensioners.

The state government increased the dearness allowance for its employees to 14.25%, compared to their earlier 12.25% level of their base salary.

The Karnataka State government also said that the DA hike will also be applicable to pensioners, according to the finance department's announcement.

Centre announces DA hike

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on October 1 approved a 3% increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) for Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) for pensioners, effective from July 1, 2025.

This raises the existing rate from 55% to 58% of the basic pay or pension, according to a release by the Cabinet.

The hike, aimed at offsetting the impact of inflation, will benefit approximately 49.19 lakh Central Government employees and 68.72 lakh pensioners.