The first cabinet meeting of the new West Bengal government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari was held on Monday at Nabanna. Several key administrative decisions were taken during the meeting. However, the much-awaited decision on Dearness Allowance (DA) for state government employees was deferred to the next cabinet meeting.
After the meeting, the Chief Minister announced that the next cabinet meeting will be held on Monday next week. According to him, discussions regarding the Seventh Pay Commission and DA will take place then.
The issue of DA at central government rates has remained one of the biggest demands of state government employees for years. The matter has seen protests, rallies, court cases, and repeated demonstrations across the state.
DA decision postponed for now
Following the BJP's victory in the Assembly elections, many state government employees had expected an early announcement regarding DA parity with the Centre.
There is also growing discussion among employees about the possible formation of a new pay commission. According to preliminary estimates, implementation of a revised pay structure could significantly increase salaries across categories, from senior officers to Group D employees.
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Some employees' groups believe the government may first announce DA at central rates before formally introducing a pay commission.
However, no formal announcement on either issue was made during Monday's meeting.
The Chief Minister said, "A detailed decision regarding DA and the Seventh Pay Commission will be taken in the next cabinet meeting."
Key decisions taken in first cabinet meeting
The government announced that no ongoing social welfare scheme in the state would be discontinued.
Another major decision was increasing the upper age limit for government job applications by five years. The move is expected to benefit a large number of job seekers across the state.
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The cabinet also approved the implementation of Ayushman Bharat in West Bengal.
In another important development, the government decided that land required for border fencing would be handed over to the Border Security Force within the next 45 days to speed up construction of barbed-wire fencing along border areas.
The meeting marked the first major administrative exercise of the new government after taking office.
