NEW DELHI, Sept 28:
Ahead of Diwali festival, the Union Cabinet today increased the Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) by 4 per cent with effective from July 1, 2022, benefiting 41.85 lakh Central Government employees and 69.76 lakh pensioners.
The additional instalment of DA and dearness relief (DR) is an increase of 4 per cent over the existing rate of 34 per cent of basic pay/pension.
The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both DA and DR would be Rs 12,852.5 crore per annum, said Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur while briefing reporters about the decisions of the Union Cabinet.
Central Government employees and pensioners will become entitled to higher amount of DA and DR respectively, with effect from July 1, 2022, Thakur said.
The increase in the DA and DR is based on the percentage increase in 12 monthly average of All India Consumer Price Index for the period ending June, 2022.
The impact of enhanced DA to the employees on the exchequer is estimated at Rs 6,591.36 crore per annum and Rs 4,394.24 crore in 2022-23 (8 months from July, 2022 to February, 2023).
In case of DR, the impact would be Rs 6,261.20 crore per annum and Rs 4,174.12 crore in the current fiscal.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who was also present at the briefing, said that the bonuses for Rail Employees are being processed and will be given by next week.
The bonuses are usually given to rail employees ahead of Dussehra.
Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet today approved Rs 10,000 crore for the redevelopment of the New Delhi, Ahmedabad and Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus railway stations, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said.
Briefing the media, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said all redevelopment of stations will be done in the engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) model and not on PPP mode to ensure that there is no additional burden on passengers.
“Railways caters to middle class and lower middle class so any extra burden on passengers is not good. So, it has been decided to invest budget money in the Railways and take it up with investment from Government. It is a conscious decision to redevelop all these stations in the EPC mode,” he said.
He said the design of these stations will be in tune with the cityscape so that it becomes an integral part of the city.
As many as 199 stations with a footfall of 50 lakh per day are planned to be redeveloped in the first phase, he said.
While the tender for 47 stations are out, work is underway at 32 stations, Vaishnaw, adding that the target is to complete the redevelopment of New Delhi station in three-and-a-half years.
The other two Railway Stations will be redeveloped in two-and-half years, he said.
“Tender for the re-development of NDLS, CSMT and Ahmedabad railway stations will be issued in the next 10 days. The total cost of the re-development of 199 stations including these three major stations is Rs 60,000 crores,” Vaishnaw said.
The Railway Minister said the design will include a spacious roof plaza with all passenger amenities at one place along with spaces for retail, cafeterias, and recreational facilities.
The stations in these cities will be connected on both sides of railway tracks.
Facilities like food court, waiting lounge, playing area for children and a place to sell local products will be made available, Vaishnaw added.
“New Delhi Railway Station will integrate train services with buses, auto and metro rail services. Ahmedabad railway station redesign is inspired by Modera’s Sun temple. CSMT’s heritage building won’t be touched but buildings nearby will be re-developed,” Vaishnaw said.
To make the stations comfortable, there will be proper illumination, way finding/signages, acoustics, lifts/escalators/travelators. Masterplans have been prepared for smooth movement of traffic with adequate parking facilities, a statement from the Ministry said.
There will be integration with other modes of transportation like metro, bus and other modes of transport, the statement said.
Green building techniques will be used, with solar energy, water conservation and recycling and improved tree cover, it added.
Vaishnaw also said special care will be taken to provide Divyang-friendly facilities and that the stations will be developed on the concept of intelligent building.
There will be segregation of arrival/departures, clutter-free platforms, improved surfaces, fully covered platforms. The stations will be safe with installation of CCTV and access control. Once completed, these will be iconic station buildings, he said. (PTI)
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