The Arunachal Pradesh government has announced a 2 per cent increase in dearness allowance (DA) for serving employees and dearness relief (DR) for pensioners, providing relief to more than one lakh beneficiaries across the state. With the latest revision, the DA and DR rates have been increased from 58 per cent to 60 per cent of basic pay and pension. The revised rates will come into effect from January 1, 2026. According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office, the decision will benefit 69,248 regular government employees and 40,477 pensioners and family pensioners in Arunachal Pradesh. The enhanced DA will be applicable to all regular state government employees, officers of the All India Services serving under the Arunachal Pradesh government, and central government employees who are currently on deputation in the state. The revised dearness relief will also apply to pensioners and family pensioners.
The state government said the move was taken following the Centre’s decision to revise dearness allowance and dearness relief for central government employees and pensioners earlier this year.Officials said the increase would place an additional annual financial burden of around Rs 100.54 crore on the state exchequer. Apart from this, the government will also bear an extra expenditure of Rs 33.51 crore towards payment of arrears for the period between January and April 2026.The arrears will be paid in cash to employees and pensioners, while the revised DA and DR rates will start reflecting in monthly salaries and pensions from May 2026 onwards. The announcement has brought relief to thousands of government employees and retired personnel amid rising living expenses and inflation. Employees’ groups in the state welcomed the decision, saying the increase would help families manage household expenses more comfortably.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu also congratulated government employees and pensioners after the announcement. He expressed hope that employees across departments would continue to serve the people of the state with dedication and sincerity. The DA and DR revisions are considered important financial measures for salaried employees and pensioners, as they are aimed at reducing the impact of inflation and increasing the purchasing power of beneficiaries.
