- National Council-JCM urges urgent announcement of January 2026 Dearness Allowance hike
- NC-JCM wrote to Cabinet Secretary citing employee unrest over delayed DA decision
- Confederation of Central Government Employees held protest demanding prompt DA hike
The National Council–Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM), the apex body of communication between the central government (as employer) and its employees, has called for an urgent action over the pending dearness allowance (DA) hike for January 2026.
The staff side of NC-JCM wrote to the Cabinet Secretary, asking for intervention to speed up the announcement, the Economic Times reported. In a letter dated April 13, Shiva Gopal Mishra, secretary, NCM-JCM, highlighted that a delay in the DA hike announcement is creating discontent and apprehensions among employees and pensioners.
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“You are well aware that so far the DA/DR instalment due to the central government employees and pensioners w.e.f January is declared during the last week of March every year. Unfortunately, this year so far, the government has not declared DA/DR due from Jan. 1. This has created discontent and apprehensions among central government employees and pensioners,” NC-JCM stated in its letter to the cabinet secretary.
Meanwhile, the body's affiliate, Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers, held a nationwide lunch-hour protest on April 16 over the issue. The confederation had also sent a similar letter on April 14, pressing the government to announce the DA hike without further delay. As a result, the NC-JCM has urged the Cabinet Secretary to ensure the DA hike from January 1, 2026. It said the allowance should be announced without further delay.
The current dearness allowance (DA) rate is 58% of basic salary. Based on the 12-month average of the All India Consumer Price Index–Industrial Workers (AICPI-IW), a 2% increase is expected. The revised DA would help adjust central government employees' salaries for inflation.
Dearness Relief (DR) for pensioners, currently also at 58%, is expected to get a similar increase. The government announces DA hikes twice a year, for January and July. However, the notification usually comes later, often around festivals like Holi or Diwali.
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Discontent among central government employees is growing as they expected a DA hike announcement before Holi, which was celebrated on March 4. However, the decision is still pending. The demands of NC-JCM staff comes at a time when the employee forum has shared its concerns over the lack of clarity on 8th Pay Commission's implementation timeline.
The apex body has submitted its memorandum to the Commission, proposing several changes in pay and benefits for central government employees. It has proposed a minimum starting salary of Rs 69,000 using a 3.833 fitment factor, 6% annual increment, two increments at the time of promotion with a minimum benefit of Rs 10,000, and reforms in gratuity calculation, among other key things.
The demands also include reinstatement of the Old Pension Scheme, full provision for compassionate appointments, etc. The 8th Pay Commission is holding meetings with stakeholders to gather feedback before submitting its final recommendations. The move will impact over 50 lakh employees and 65 lakh pensioners.
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