Kerala govt hikes Dearness Allowance to 35 pc for employees, pensioners; Details inside

In a major relief for government staff and retirees, the Kerala government has raised Dearness Allowance from 25% to 35%, benefiting employees, teachers, aided institution staff, and pensioners across the state.

Post Published By: Ayushi Bisht

Updated : 20 February 2026, 2:52 PM IST

The Kerala government has announced a 10-percentage-point hike in Dearness Allowance

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has announced a 10-percentage-point hike in Dearness Allowance (DA), raising it from 25 per cent to 35 per cent. The decision will benefit state government employees, local body staff, teachers, and employees of aided schools, colleges and polytechnics.

According to the official order issued on Friday in Thiruvananthapuram, the revised DA will be disbursed along with the March salary. Full-time contingent employees are also covered under the increase.

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Pensioners to Receive Higher Dearness Relief

The government has extended a similar benefit to pensioners through an increase in Dearness Relief (DR). State service pensioners, family pensioners, ex-gratia pensioners and ex-gratia family pensioners will receive the revised relief amount with their April pension.

The order clarified that part-time teachers, part-time contingent staff and re-employed pensioners are also eligible for the revised DA based on their existing pay structure.

Conditions for Public Sector Units and Autonomous Bodies

Employees and pensioners of state public sector undertakings (PSUs), statutory corporations, autonomous bodies, boards and grant-in-aid institutions that follow the state DA and DR pattern are also eligible. However, these organisations must assess their financial capacity before implementing the hike.

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If an institution is unable to meet the additional financial burden from its own resources, it must obtain prior approval from the government. Organisations that receive more than 90 per cent of their salary or pension expenditure from government grants may release the revised DA and DR with the approval of their governing body, without separate government sanction.

Local self-government bodies have been instructed to meet the additional expenditure arising from the revision through their own funds.