New Delhi: The demand to merge Dearness Allowance (DA) with basic salary under the upcoming 8th Pay Commission has been widely discussed in recent weeks. However, the government has now put an end to speculation.

On 1 December 2025, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary informed the Lok Sabha through a written reply that the government currently has no proposal to merge DA with basic pay. Read Also 8th Pay Commission Cleared By Cabinet, Five Key Factors To Decide Salary Hike For Government...

This response was given to MP Anand Bhadauria, who raised concerns about rising inflation and the financial pressure on central government employees and pensioners.

Why the Demand for Merger Grew Stronger?

Employee groups argue that DA and DR are not matching real-time retail inflatio

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