CHANDIGARH: Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Dhanteras announced a 3 per cent hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) for state government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) for pensioners.
The increase, effective from July 1, will raise the DA and DR rates from 60 per cent to 63 per cent. It will benefit around 2.78 lakh regular state government employees and 2.6 lakh pensioners. Employees of boards, corporations, autonomous bodies and public sector undertakings will also receive the revised benefits. The decision will cost the state exchequer an additional Rs 545 crore in the 2026-27 financial year.
Saini also transferred Rs 4,470.77 crore directly into the bank accounts of beneficiaries of various welfare schemes, as well as Panchayati Raj institutions and municipalities across the state.
Addressing a press conference, he said the government had released the 13th instalment of the Deen Dayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana, transferring Rs 222.52 crore to 10.59 lakh women beneficiaries. With this, the total disbursement under the scheme has reached Rs 2,689.15 crore.
He said the second phase of the scheme began on September 17, with the annual income eligibility limit raised from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.8 lakh. The latest instalment includes 49,290 women covered under the expanded eligibility criteria.
Saini also said Rs 1,135.21 crore had been transferred to 35,26,358 beneficiaries under 15 social security pension schemes, including the Old Age Samman Allowance and disability allowance.
Highlighting reforms in welfare delivery, he said the government had adopted a system in which eligibility is determined automatically through the Parivar Pehchan Patra (Family ID) database. This allows eligible citizens to receive benefits without submitting applications or visiting government offices.
Under the Har Ghar-Har Grihini Yojana, the government also released Rs 24.25 crore as a subsidy for LPG cylinder refills in September, benefiting 6.05 lakh women. The scheme provides eligible women with LPG cylinders at a subsidised price of Rs 500.