Bengal Govt Announces 4% DA Hike for Employees, Unions Demand More

Kolkata, February 9: The Bengal government on Thursday announced a 4% increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) for its 8 lakh employees, taking the total DA to 14% effective from May 2024. While Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said the move aims to provide relief against inflation, state government employee unions called it insufficient.

Key Points:

• The announcement comes amid demands for DA parity with central government employees, who currently receive 36% more DA.
• This hike reduces the DA gap to 32%, but unions demand clearing all dues at once.
• The government estimates an additional annual burden of Rs 3,100 crore due to this hike.
• Clearing all outstanding DA dues would cost an estimated Rs 41,000 crore, considered unaffordable by the government.
• While officials cite limited resources, some bureaucrats see the move as appeasing employees before the Lok Sabha polls.

Reactions:

• Unions remain dissatisfied, demanding full clearance of DA dues instead of incremental hikes.
• Government claims financial constraints and highlights a previous 4% DA hike in January.
• Some bureaucrats view the announcement as a pre-poll strategy to keep employees content.

Outlook:

• The DA hike offers some relief but might not quell employee discontent entirely.
• The issue of DA parity with central government employees is likely to persist.
• With Lok Sabha polls approaching, the government's handling of employee demands will be under scrutiny.