Holi Da Hike / Government employees will be rich before Holi, government increased DA by 12%

Holi Da Hike: Before Holi, the Maharashtra government has given a big gift to its government employees. The government has announced a 12% hike in dearness allowance (DA), which will benefit about 17 lakh government employees of the state. This hike has been made under the 5th Pay Commission and will be implemented from July 1, 2024.

12% hike in dearness allowance

The Maharashtra government said in a government order (GR) issued on Tuesday that the dearness allowance of the employees has been increased from 443% to 455%. It will be paid in cash along with the salary of February 2025, which will also include arrears from July 1, 2024 to January 31, 2025.

17 lakh employees will get benefit

According to officials of the state finance department, about 17 lakh government employees will get direct benefit from this hike. The financial burden of this increased dearness allowance will be met from the budgetary provisions of the respective salaries and allowances. The required amount for the employees of Zila Parishad and grant-in-aid institutions will be taken from their financial assistance budget.

Central government can also make an announcement

Holi 2025 can also be special for central government employees and pensioners. According to reports, the central government may soon announce a hike in dearness allowance and dearness relief (DR). Since Holi is on March 14 this year, it is believed that the government will announce the DA hike before March 2025.

Possible hike under 7th Pay Commission

Under the 7th Pay Commission rules, dearness allowance is increased twice a year—first from January 1 and second time from July 1. The first hike of 2025 will come into effect from January 1, and it can be officially announced in March 2025. However, no official announcement has been made by the government yet.

How much can the DA of central employees increase?

According to employee organizations, the central government may increase the dearness allowance of central employees and pensioners by 3 to 4% in March 2025. If this happens, the salary of employees whose basic salary is Rs 18,000 per month may increase from Rs 540 to Rs 720 per month from January 1, 2025.

Conclusion

The decision of the Maharashtra government to increase DA by 12% has brought relief to lakhs of employees of the state. At the same time, good news may come soon for central employees as well. Given the rising pressure of inflation, this increase will provide financial support to employees and pensioners.