Kerala government hikes DA by 10 per cent to staff

In a decision that will cheer lakhs of government employees and pensioners, Kerala Cabinet today announced a 10 per cent increase in the dearness allowances of their salaries.
Employees would get the new DA from July this year and the state exchequer would have an additional expenditure of Rs.130 crore per month on this account, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters after the cabinet meeting here.
With this, DA would become 63 per cent of an employee's basic scale of pay, Chandy pointed out.
Arrears of DA upto December next would be merged with the Provident Fund account, he said.

The recommendation comes in the wake of a hike in the DA of central government employees. DA was hiked five times after the Congress-led UDF came to power in 2011.
The cabinet has also decided to give the salary scale of secretariat staff to university employees.

On the controversial mineral sand mining at state coasts, Chandy said government was not averse to supporting private sector if it help Value Addition.
'I am of the opinion that the rich mineral sand deposited on
state coast had not been commercially exploited so far', he said and made clear that the government priority was to strengthen public sector units functioning in this sector.

Chandy also pointed out that there were different views in the society with regard to allowing private parities in mineral sand mining. Government would take a decision considering all facts, he said.
The Cabinet also decided to set up a Special Purpose Vehicle to implement the schemes under the Rajiv Gandhi Awaz Yojana envisaged to ensure a 'slum-free India'.
Fifty per cent of the project expenditure will be funded by the Central Government while the state government and LSGDS would bear 30 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.