Punjab boosts DA to 60% for 85,000 state employees
India
Big news for Punjab's government staff: about 85,000 employees hired after July 17, 2020, are set to get their dearness allowance (DA) increased from 42% to 60%.
Cabinet Minister Aman Arora shared that this move aims to narrow the pay gap between Central and state pay scales.
The proposal would now be sent to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Over 300,000 Punjab workers protest
Punjab's pay packages are already 30% to 70% higher than Central government ones, but this DA hike won't cover those hired before July 2020 since they're on older, higher salaries.
Meanwhile, over 300,000 government workers are protesting. They want their pending DA released and the notice withdrawn.
They've given the state until September 7 to act.