Mumbai, February 20: The colourful festival of Holi could bring some much awaited good news for Central government employees under 7th pay commission. The Centre is likely to take a decision on dearness allowance hike, DA arrears and others in the next 15 days. The Narendra Modi-led government is expected to take decision on pending demands if its employees soon.

According to a report in Maharashtra Times, the DA hike could be approved during the cabinet meeting which is slated to be held on March 1. And if all goes well, then the Centre could announce a decision regarding dearness allowance hike on or before Holi 2023. Since a long time, government employees have been demanding a hike in DA. 7th Pay Commission: Fitment Factor Likely to Be Hiked For Government Employees Soon; Here’s How Much Salary Will Increase.

Every year, the Centre hikes DA of government employees and DR of pensioners twice - first in January and then in July. Last year, the government hike DA of its employees under 7th CPC in March and then in September. Going by the same pattern, a DA hike is on the cards for government employees and could likely be announced in March.

In September 2022, the Centre raised DA by 4 percent, thus taking the Dearness Allowance from 34 percent to 38 percent. If reports are to be believed, this time too the government employees could receive a 4 percent DA hike. However, no official announcement has been made as yet. 7th Pay Commission Good News: Centre Likely To Release 18-Months DA Arrears in March 2023; Check Latest Update Here.

If approved, the DA hike could boost the salary of government employees under 7th CPC. A 4 percent DA hike will take the current DA from 38 percent to 42 percent. Meanwhile, reports also suggest that the Centre could implement a new commission, however, there was no mention of 8th pay commission in the Union Budget presented this month.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 20, 2023 02:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).