Jharkhand govt hikes DA for its employees to 58 pc

Ranchi, Oct 14 (PTI) The Jharkhand government on Tuesday hiked the dearness allowance (DA) of its employees to 58 per cent ahead of Diwali, officials said.

The dearness relief (DR) for pensioners was also increased by 3 percentage points to 58 per cent, they said.

Earlier, employees and pensioners used to get 55 per cent DA and DR, respectively, they added.

The hike will be effective from July 1, officials said.

The decision, which will benefit 3 lakh state government employees and pensioners, was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

A total of 24 proposals were passed by the cabinet.

Among them was a proposal to buy 207 Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances to strengthen healthcare services in remote areas. A total of Rs 103.5 crore would be spent for the purpose, officials said.

The cabinet also approved Rs 78.50 crore for the purchase of 628 four-wheelers and 849 two-wheelers for the police. PTI SAN SAN SOM