Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon has promised to raise the dearness allowance (DA) of state government employees to 63% if the party wins the 2027 Assembly elections, matching the rate approved for central government employees. He also promised payment of pending DA arrears.
Dhillon made the announcement on Thursday after the Union Cabinet approved a three-percentage-point increase in DA for central government employees, taking the rate from 60% to 63%. He said Punjab’s DA rate had not yet reached 60% and accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of withholding employees’ dues.
The commitment places employee compensation and arrears among the issues likely to shape the BJP’s campaign ahead of the next state election. The promised increase would apply if the party forms the government, while the timing and mechanism for clearing arrears were not specified in the statement reported by the Times of India.
Dhillon also claimed that the Punjab and Haryana high court had directed the state government to bring the DA rate for Punjab employees on a par with the Centre’s rate. According to his account, the order remained unimplemented and the court imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the government on October 27. He further said the state’s special leave petition before the Supreme Court remained on the defect list.
The court-related claims and the status of the pending petition were part of Dhillon’s criticism of the state government. The report did not include a response from the Punjab government or details of the court order and Supreme Court filing beyond the BJP leader’s statement.
Dhillon’s announcement also covered industrial and rural development measures. He said the Centre’s Sports Goods Manufacturing Scheme could help revive Jalandhar’s sports goods industry, which he claimed accounts for 60% of India’s sports goods production but has lost 40% of its units.
He further said the proposed Container Manufacturing Promotion Scheme could reduce export costs for Punjab’s hosiery, bicycle and sports goods industries. The claim links logistics costs with the competitiveness of industries concentrated in the state, although the announcement did not provide an estimate of the potential savings or a timeline for implementation.
On rural administration, Dhillon said the Prime Minister’s Viksit Gram Swaraj Yojana would strengthen more than 13,000 panchayats through training and greater authority for elected representatives. The report did not specify the scheme’s funding structure, implementation schedule or the division of responsibilities between the Centre and Punjab.
The BJP’s commitments therefore combine a direct promise on employee pay with proposals involving manufacturing, exports and panchayat administration. Further details on the DA arrears, the court proceedings and the implementation of the industrial and rural schemes are expected to determine how the announcements translate into policy commitments before the 2027 polls.
