By Mukesh 
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday (April 18, 2026), approved the release of an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners. The increase will be effective from January 1, 2026.
A press release by the PIB stated that the increase will be 2% over the existing rate of 58% of the Basic pay/pension, to compensate against price rise.