26 Feb : Central government employees and pensioners will get an additional six percent dearness allowance from next month.Employees and pensioners will get the additional DA with retrospective effect from 1st January this year, as per a decision cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) at New Delhi on Thursday.
The revised DA would be 22 percent, payable from next month’s salary, against 16 percent at present, Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters at New Delhi on Thursday.The combined burden of the increased DA to employees and the retired will be Rs 6,020 crore from January 2009 to February 2010, he said.However, the exchequer will take a hit of Rs 5,159 crore for the full year, Chidambaram said.
The decision to increase DA was taken because of the rise in the consumer price index for industrial workers.DA is revised twice a year, from 1st January and 1st July, payable in salaries of 1st March and 1st September, respectively.The additional financial implication on account of the increase in DA to central government employees (excluding pensioners) would be Rs 4,100 crore for 14 months from 1st January this year.
The rise in allowance, called dearness relief, to pensioners will cost the exchequer Rs 1,920 crore during the period.However, for a full year, the implication would be Rs 3,514 crore because of revised DA for employees and Rs 1,645 crore for pensioners.
Central government employees and pensioners got hike in salaries from September after the Government approved the Sixth Pay Commisison’s report with some modifications.
Rs 7,300 cr-road projects approved for 8 extremist-hit states According priority to the development of infrastructure in extremist-hit states and tough terrain, the govt on Thursday approved Rs 7,300-crore projects for the construction of roads of 7,441 km in eight of them.
"You are aware there are 33 districts in eight states, which have been identified (as left-wing extremist affected areas). A comprehensive road development programme in these districts have been drawn up," Home Minister P Chidambaram said, briefing reporters of CCEA decisions at New Delhi on Thursday.
"(The) Planning Commission has been requested to make as much funds available as possible in 2009-10," Chidambaram said elaborating, roads involved 1,320 km of National Highways, 4,560 km of state highways and district roads, and 1,591 km of rural roads.
Depending upon the availability of funds, road works would be prioritised by the Ministry of Home Affairs, in consultation with the states concerned, he said, adding the Ministry of Road Transport would implement road proposals and construct them.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) also approved Ministry of Road Transport’s proposal for upgrading of 2,64 km of national highways in Jammu and Kashmir, a part of the National Highways Development Project (NHDP) North-South corridor.
The road construction work would be taken on sections where detailed projects reports (DPR) have been approved besides environment clearance.
Chidambaram said there were some delays in DPR despite appointment of a consultant because, "The road ran through Ramnagar Sanctuary and Nandini Wildlife sanctuary".
The CCEA decided that road construction work on sections where DPRs were not ready would be taken as and when it were ready.