The Bihar government has approved a 4% increase in dearness allowance (DA) for state employees and dearness relief (DR) for pensioners, as announced by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Under the 7th Pay Commission, employees currently receiving a 42% DA will now see it raised to 46%, effective from July 1, 2023. This adjustment will result in increased salaries for approximately 4.5 lakh state government employees and benefits for around six lakh pensioners, with the hike reflecting in December salaries and arrears covering the period from July to October.
In addition to the DA increment, the cabinet passed a resolution urging the Centre to grant special category status to Bihar. This move is in response to a caste-based economic survey indicating that around 94 lakh families across all castes are below the poverty line. The state government plans to address this issue by disbursing various sums for employment opportunities, land acquisition, housing construction, and livelihood sustenance to those in need.
Furthermore, the Bihar state cabinet endorsed a proposal to forward amended reservation laws, which increase reservations to 65% in jobs and admissions, to the Centre for potential inclusion in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. Seeking protection from judicial review, this move aligns with the constitutional provision shielding certain laws from legal challenges in courts, following the Supreme Court’s 1992 cap on reservations for backward classes at 50%.
