7th pay commission: Every year in the last week of March, the Modi government gives a gift to more than 48 lakh central employees and 68 lakh pensioners by increasing their dearness allowance and dearness relief for the months from January to June.
There will be a need for the Central Government to increase the dearness allowance for the months of January to June 2024 also. But the decision on increase in dearness allowance in the year 2024 can be taken by the Modi government not in the month of March but only at the beginning of the new year. The reason is the Lok Sabha elections to be held between April and May next year.
When will dearness allowance increase?
In 2022, Modi government had decided to increase dearness allowance on 30 March 2022 and in 2023 on 24 March 2023. The dates for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are expected to be announced in the first week of March. The code of conduct will come into force in the country with the announcement of election dates.
After that the central government will not be able to increase dearness allowance. In such a situation, it is believed that the Modi government may take a decision to increase dearness allowance and dearness relief between January and February to woo the central employees.
How much will dearness allowance increase?
The All India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers has seen a rise of 0.9 percent in the month of October. The All India Consumer Price Index of Industrial Workers plays the biggest role in determining dearness allowance and dearness relief. In such a situation, looking at these figures, it is expected that for the January to June period of the year 2024, the dearness allowance and dearness relief can be increased by up to 4 percent and the dearness allowance can be increased from the current 46 percent to 50 percent.
Will DA be merged with basic pay?
It is being said continuously in many reports that after the dearness allowance reaches 50 percent, it will be merged into the basic pay and the dearness allowance will become zero and there will be a fresh increase in the dearness allowance. But let us tell you that nothing like this is going to happen.
Because the Seventh Pay Commission has not recommended its merger with basic pay since there is such 50 percent dearness allowance. The Sixth Pay Commission also did not make any such recommendation. The question arises whether the government will constitute the 8th Pay Commission after 50 percent dearness allowance, although the government has been denying it.