Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Saturday announced a hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) from 60 per cent to 63 per cent for state government employees, teachers and pensioners ahead of Diwali.The revision, effective retrospectively from July 1, 2026, will benefit approximately 16 lakh employees, teachers, pensioners and family pensioners. It will cost the state exchequer an additional Rs 1,858 crore annually, according to a government release.The decision follows a similar increase for central government employees, whose DA was raised from 60 per cent to 63 per cent with effect from the same date.ā€œThe timely announcement will enable government employees, teachers, and pensioners to celebrate the upcoming Diwali festival with joy,ā€ the release said.

It added that the Chief Minister ordered the matching revision after reviewing the Centre's decision, taking into account the role of government employees and teachers in implementing welfare schemes.AGE RELAXATION FOR GOVERNMENT JOBSThe announcement came a day after CM Vijay granted a five-year relaxation in the upper age limit for candidates applying for government jobs. The relaxation will remain in force for five years and apply in addition to existing age concessions.

The government said the decision followed representations from aspirants seeking more opportunities to appear for competitive examinations.For Group I services, the upper age limit will increase from 32 to 37 years for general category candidates and from 37 to 42 years for reserved category candidates.Differently abled candidates in the general category will be eligible up to 47 years, against the existing limit of 42. For those in reserved categories, the limit will rise from 47 to 52 years.For Group II and Group IIA services, the upper age limit for general category candidates will increase from 30 to 35 years.

For differently abled candidates in the general category, it will rise from 40 to 45 years. Reserved category candidates currently have no upper age limit for Group II and Group IIA services.- Ends