Chandigarh: In a key administrative move ahead of the festive season, the Punjab government has announced an eight percent boost to Dearness Allowance, expanding the overall allowance to fifty percent for eight lakh serving staff and pensioners. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann stated that the enhanced payout will be reflected in the upcoming salary cycle, describing the measure as an investment in workforce welfare and administrative efficiency. The announcement followed interactive sessions with service associations aimed at addressing workplace concerns through constructive dialogue.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann asserted that employee satisfaction remains central to delivering responsive governance across Punjab. He highlighted new welfare guidelines, including targeted transfers for female staff within a forty-kilometer radius of their homes, designed to alleviate commuting challenges. He also pointed out that recent public recruitment drives have successfully inducted nearly seventy thousand candidates into various government departments based on transparent selection criteria.
The state leadership reaffirmed its intention to resolve long-standing service matters through regular, institutionalized talks. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann declared that monthly reviews between government officials and staff representatives will ensure timely resolution of grievances before they escalate. Key issues slated for further examination include the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, ACP implementation, and pay scale reviews for contractual and probation personnel, with detailed departmental evaluations scheduled for early October.
