India, April 1 -- Rajasthan chief minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Tuesday approved the increase in the dearness allowance (DA) for the state government's employees and pensioners.

Sharma has approved a 2% hike in DA for employees receiving benefits under the 7th Pay Commission.

The revised DA will be applicable from January 1 this year, benefitting around 8 lakh government employees and 4.40 lakh pensioners in the state.

The DA for the past three months will be credited to employees' General Provident Fund (GPF) accounts, while the increased DA from April onwards will be paid in cash.

The chief minister approved the finance department's proposal regarding the DA increase.

According to the new decision, state employees and pensioners und...