Govt approves 2% DA hike for central government employees

The government today approved the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme to boost the manufacturing of electronic goods and strengthen the electronics supply chain.

The government has also approved 2 % Dearness Allowance to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief to Pensioners wef 1st January 2025. With this, 48.66 lakh Central Government employees and 66.55 lakhs pensioners will benefit.

Briefing media in New Delhi about the Cabinet decisions today, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, funding worth over 22 thousand crore rupees will be provided for the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme. He said, this will generate direct employment of over 91 thousand and many indirect jobs.

The Minister further said electronics sector has witnessed tremendous growth in the last ten years. He said, electronics production has grown five times with the rate of 17 percent compound annual growth rate while electronic exports witnessed growth of 20 percent compound annual growth rate in these years. He added that electronics manufacturing has generated 25 lakh jobs in the country in the last ten years.          

The domestic production of electronic goods has increased from one lakh 90 thousand crore in financial year 2014-15 to nine lakh 52 thousand crore in financial year 2023-24. Mr. Vaishnaw also



informed that Cabinet has approved inclusion of Kosi Mechi Intra-State Link Project of Bihar under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana- Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (PMKSY-AIBP). The Minister said, the project will provide over two lakh 10 thousand hectares additional annual irrigation in Kharif season in Araria, Purnea, Kishanganj and Katihar districts of Bihar. The government has approved central support of three thousand 652 crore rupees to Bihar for completion of the project by March, 2029 with an estimated cost of six thousand 282 crore rupees.

Mr. Vaishnaw said, the government has also approved nutrient-based Based Subsidy rates for Kharif 2025 on Phosphatic and Potassic fertilizers to ensure affordable, subsidized, and reasonable fertilizers to the farmers. He said, the impact of price volatility was subsumed by maintaining MRP of DAP at one thousand 350 rupees per 50 kilogram bag to protect the interest of farmers.

The Minister also informed that the government has approved construction of four-lane greenfield and brownfield Patna-Arrah-Sasaram corridor having the length of 120.10 kilometres in Bihar. He said the project will be developed on Hybrid Annuity Mode at a total capital cost of three thousand 712 crore rupees. The Minister said, this project will give a boost to infrastructure development by generating 48 lakh man-days employment.