Government employees to get 7 percent additional dearness allowance.

   Over four-million central government employees will go home with an increased pay packet from now, with the union cabinet Friday hiking the dearness allowance to 65 percent of the basic salary from the existing 58 percent with retrospective effect from  1st January this year.

   The hike, about 7 percent from the present rates, will also be applicable to central government pensioners.

   The increase in the allowances will cost the government exchequer Rs.7,474.53 crore annually, according to the decision taken at the cabinet meeting presided by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here.

Release of additional instalment of Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief.

   The Union Cabinet today gave its approval to release an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to central government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners w.e.f. 1.1.2012 representing an increase of 7% over the existing rate of 58% of the Basic Pay/Pension, to compensate for price rise. The increase is in accordance with the accepted formula, which is based on the recommendations of the 6th Central Pay Commission. The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both dearness allowance and dearness relief would be of the order of Rs.7474.53 crore per annum and Rs.8720.32 crore in the financial year 2012-13 (i.e. for a period of 14 months from January, 2012 to February, 2013).

Source: PIB

Government Formulating Policy for Raising Retirement age in Sick & Loss Making CPSEs.

   On the basis of recommendations of Board for Reconstruction of Public Sector Enterprises (BRPSE), the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) is formulating a policy for enhancement of age of superannuation from 58 to 60 years for employees of such sick and loss making Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) whose revival packages have been approved by the Government and which will continue to be in Public Sector after implementation of revival package. The above policy would be notified after inter-ministerial consultations and approval of competent authority.

   The above information was given by the Minister for Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises Shri Praful Patel in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

PIB