Chandigarh:- The Punjab Government has announced a major Diwali gift for around 8 lakh government employees in the state by deciding to release a three per cent instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA). Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann made the announcement, stating that the increased DA would be paid to state employees and pensioners along with their December salary and pension.
With this decision, the state government has increased the DA of employees by 11 per cent within two months. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that employees were receiving 28 per cent DA in 2022, which has increased to 53 per cent in 2026. This will benefit employees by Rs 363 crore every month, while the total 11 per cent DA increase will provide an annual benefit of Rs 3,988 crore. The Chief Minister said that people in Punjab were highly satisfied with the state government's schemes. He said that the Aam Aadmi Party government had never claimed that the state treasury was empty, whereas previous governments had repeatedly made such claims. The Aam Aadmi Party government has so far provided new jobs to 71,777 young people in the state.
Commenting on three MLAs joining the BJP, the Chief Minister said that becoming an MLA was not just about politics; standing by one's party was equally important. He said that the MLAs who had joined the BJP would soon realise how much respect leaders received in that party. Before them, Captain Amarinder Singh had also joined the BJP, but he was never consulted. In fact, Captain Amarinder Singh himself had been saying that even his advice on Patiala was not sought.
Commenting on the ongoing Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids in the state, the Chief Minister said that the raids by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) indicated that elections in Punjab were approaching. He alleged that the BJP intensifies ED and CBI raids as elections draw near and that Punjab was now being targeted in the same manner.
