Jammu and Kashmir Government has announced a 2% increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) for its employees.
With this hike, DA has now gone up from 53% to 55% of the basic salary.
The revised DA will be effective from January 1, 2025, and arrears will be paid in June 2025. From then onward, the new DA will be added to the regular monthly salary.
Who Will Benefit from This Hike?
This increase applies to all employees who come under the 7th Pay Commission framework.
The decision is in line with a recent 2% DA hike announced by the Central Government for its employees and pensioners.
Final DA Hike Under the 7th Pay Commission
With this 2% increase, the DA has now reached 55%, which is considered the last DA revision under the 7th Pay Commission.
The validity of the 7th Pay Commission ends on December 31, 2025.
Why Was the DA Increased?
The hike in DA is based on the All India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (AICPI-IW), which tracks inflation.
This index has been rising steadily:
- In March 2025, it went up by 0.2 points, reaching 143.0
- In April 2025, it increased by another 0.5 points, reaching 143.5
The Labour Bureau confirmed that the CPI-IW rose by 0.5 points in April, indicating a rise in inflation. This made the DA revision necessary to support employees against rising costs.
When Is the Next DA Revision?
Employees are now looking forward to the next DA hike, which will be based on data up to July 1, 2025.
This revision is usually announced around October or November, during the Diwali season.
It could also be the final DA hike under the current pay structure. The 8th Pay Commission is likely to come into effect from January 1, 2026.
