DA Hike: West Bengal Announces 4% Dearness Allowance Increase for Government Employees in Interim Budget

Kolkata: In a significant pre-poll move, the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government on Thursday announced a 4 per cent hike in dearness allowance (DA) for state government employees. The announcement was made during the presentation of the interim budget for the 2026–27 financial year in the West Bengal Assembly.

According to a PTI report, the DA hike was announced by State Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya while tabling the interim budget. The increase is expected to provide some relief to government employees amid rising inflation and cost of living.

The West Bengal government presented an interim budget of ₹4.06 lakh crore for the financial year 2026–27, ahead of the state assembly elections scheduled to be held in less than three months. The budget focuses on continuity of welfare schemes, fiscal stability, and support for government employees.

With the 4 per cent increase, the DA payable to state government employees will see a modest rise, though employee unions have long been demanding parity with the central government’s DA rates. Several unions have welcomed the hike but termed it insufficient, reiterating their demand for a higher revision and clearance of pending DA arrears.

Presenting the budget, Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said the interim budget aims to ensure smooth functioning of government services and ongoing development programmes until a new government takes charge after the elections.

The DA hike is expected to benefit lakhs of state government employees and pensioners across West Bengal. Officials said further details regarding the effective date of the revised DA and its financial impact would be notified separately.

The announcement comes at a politically crucial time, with the ruling Trinamool Congress seeking to address employee concerns while balancing fiscal constraints ahead of the upcoming polls.