Great news for government employees and pensioners in Jammu and Kashmir! The Omar Abdullah administration has rolled out a significant benefit for them. They’ve decided to boost the dearness allowance (DA) for those under the Sixth Pay Commission. This change will take effect starting July 2024.
As per the Finance Department’s announcement, the Jammu and Kashmir government has raised the DA and dearness relief for employees and pensioners by 7 percent, bumping it up from 239 percent to 246 percent. These new DA rates will kick in on July 1, 2024.
For those wondering about back pay, the new rates will apply from July 1, 2024, meaning that any arrears from July 2024 to February 2025 will be paid out in cash come March 2025 and will be included in the following monthly salaries and pensions. Employees still receiving their pay under the old Sixth Pay Commission will also benefit from this revised DA.
Payments will be rounded up to the nearest whole rupee when necessary. Any amounts of 50 paise or more will be rounded up, while anything less than that will be disregarded.
It’s also important to mention that in a cabinet meeting back in January, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced a 3 percent increase in the dearness allowance for employees and pensioners under the 7th Pay Commission, effective from July 1, 2024. This raised the DA from 50 percent to 53 percent, with arrears from July to January set to be paid in February 2025.