Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta made the announcement while presenting the first full budget of the BJP-led government headed by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari in the Assembly.
With the latest revision, the total DA payable to state employees will rise to 38 percent. The revised rates will come into effect from October 1, according to the budget announcement.
Dearness Allowance is paid to government employees and pensioners to cushion the impact of inflation and rising living costs. The allowance is revised periodically and forms a key component of government employees’ salaries.
In West Bengal, DA has remained a politically sensitive issue over the years amid repeated demands from employee unions for higher payouts and parity with central government rates.
The government described the latest increase as the highest DA enhancement announced in a single tranche in the state’s history.
Alongside the DA announcement, the budget laid out an expansive recruitment and welfare roadmap. Dasgupta said the government would fill one lakh vacant posts across departments in phases. Of these, 33% will be reserved for women candidates.
The finance minister also announced plans to recruit 20,000 personnel for the state police force, while adding that a broader hiring push in education and administration would follow.
In another welfare measure, the government said girl students studying in state-run and government-aided schools would receive a scholarship of ₹50,000.
The budget also proposed increasing the annual allocation under the MLA Local Area Development Fund from ₹70 lakh to ₹1 crore. The government further announced the establishment of a Tribal University as part of its higher education push.
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