The Supreme Court has directed the Mamata Banerje-led state government in West Bengal to clear outstanding Dearness Allowance (DA) fees for eligible employees within the next three months, Press India (PTI) reported on Friday. This could bring relief to state government staff in the form of a storm due to the sudden release of the amount. Dearness Allowance is a special allowance aimed at compensating central and state administrative staff, public sector employees and pensioners for increased cost of living. In other words, dear allowances are intended to help offset the impact of inflation on the purchasing power of eligible people.
How much dear allowance can state government staff expect?
According to the report, the Supreme Court has directed the state to pay a 25% dear allowance for three months.
Previously, a group of staff members from the West Bengal government approached the Calcutta High Court, seeking dear allowances on par with their counterparts in the central government.
In May 2022, the Calcutta High Court directed the West Bengal government to pay the DA at a central government fee.
The West Bengal government then challenged the ruling in November 2022 in the country’s top court.
Since then, the state has declared several hikes of dear allowances. However, the state’s DA rates continue to be significantly lower than the central government’s DA rates. The gap reportedly lies at 37%.
