Govt hikes DA/DR by 5 percentage points to 17% for central govt employees, pensioners
New Delhi: Bringing cheers to 50 lakh central government employees and 65 lakh pensioners ahead of Diwali, the Cabinet on Wednesday announced an increase of 5 percentage points to 17 per cent in dearness and relief allowances, envisaging an additional annual outgo of Rs 16,000 crore.
The Cabinet approved releasing an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to central government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners with effect from July 1, 2019 representing an increase of 5 percentage points over the existing rate of 12 per cent of the basic pay/pension, to compensate for price rise, an official statement said.
This increase is in accordance with the accepted formula based on the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission.
"This is the highest ever 5 percentage points increase in DA in one go by the central government," Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said while briefing media on the decisions taken by the Cabinet, adding this will bring cheers to the government employees on the eve of Diwali.
The Cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Beginning January 2019, the government had raised the DA/DR to 12 per cent from 9 per cent earlier.
The government said the combined impact on the exchequer on account of both DA and DR would be Rs 15,909.35 crore per annum and Rs 10,606.20 crore in financial year 2019-20 (for a period of eight months from July 2019 to February 2020).
This will benefit about 49.93 lakh central government employees and 65.26 lakh pensioners.
The additional financial implication on account of this increase in DA is estimated at Rs 8,590.20 crore per year; and Rs 5,726.80 crore in the current financial year (from July 2019 to February 2020).
The additional financial implication on account of the DR to pensioners is estimated to be Rs 7,319.15 crore per annum and Rs 4,870 crore in the current fiscal.
DA/DR is paid to central government employees/pensioners to adjust the cost of living and to protect their basic pay/pension from erosion in the real value.
These are revised twice a year from January 1 and July 1.
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US rules out use of nuclear weapons against Iran
Washington DC: The White House has reportedly ruled out the use of nuclear weapons against Iran, even as uncertainty continues over ongoing peace negotiations and a deadline set by US President Donald Trump approaches.
Issues bout a possible escalation had increased after US Vice President JD Vance said that the United States has “tools in our toolkit that we so far haven’t decided to use” in dealing with Iran.
His remarks came amid rising tensions and ahead of a deadline linked to peace efforts.
The situation has attracted attention as Trump warned Iran that its “whole civilization will die tonight tonight” if an agreement is not reached by Tuesday at 8 pm.
This statement led to speculation about the possibility of extreme military measures, including a nuclear strike.
Following Vance’s comments, the White House issued a clarification distancing itself from such interpretations. In a post on X, it said, "Literally nothing @VP said here 'implies' this, you absolute buffoons." In a later statement, it added that “only the president knows” what action will be taken regarding Iran.
Literally nothing @VP said here "implies" this, you absolute buffoons https://t.co/7JU3wXMaWX
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 7, 2026
