In a festive gesture, the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar governments have announced early salary disbursements for their employees ahead of Diwali. The Uttar Pradesh government, led by Yogi Adityanath, has confirmed that approximately 1.8 million state employees will receive their October salaries by 30 October. Similarly, the Bihar government under Nitish Kumar has declared that around 800,000 state employees will start receiving their salaries from 25 October, offering a timely financial boost during the festive season.
In a related announcement, the Union Cabinet approved a 3 per cent hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) for central government employees on 16 October 2024. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that the DA increase is effective from July 1, 2024, benefiting approximately 49.18 lakh government employees and 64.89 lakh pensioners. This decision will also see a 3 per cent rise in Dearness Relief (DR) for pensioners, with a combined annual impact of ₹9,448.35 crore on the exchequer.
