On the occasion of Dhanteras, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini announced a 3 per cent increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) for state government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) for pensioners on Friday.The increase will take effect from July 1, 2026, raising the DA and DR rates from 60 per cent to 63 per cent.The decision will benefit approximately 2.78 lakh regular state government employees and around 2.6 lakh pensioners. Employees of boards, corporations, autonomous bodies, public sector undertakings and other such organisations will also receive corresponding benefits.The revision will entail an additional expenditure of Rs 545 crore for the state exchequer during the financial year 2026-27.The Chief Minister also transferred Rs 4,470.77 crore directly into the bank accounts of lakhs of beneficiaries of various welfare schemes, as well as Panchayati Raj institutions and municipalities across the state.Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, the Chief Minister said the state government had released the 13th instalment under the Deen Dayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana, transferring Rs 222.52 crore into the bank accounts of 10.59 lakh women beneficiaries. With this disbursement, the total amount released under the scheme has reached Rs 2,689.15 crore across 13 instalments.He said the second phase of the scheme commenced on September 17, with the government expanding its coverage by raising the annual income eligibility limit from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.8 lakh. The latest disbursement includes 49,290 eligible women covered under the expanded criteria.The Chief Minister further said that Rs 1,135.21 crore had been transferred directly into the bank accounts of 35,26,358 beneficiaries under 15 social security pension schemes, including the Old Age Samman Allowance, disability allowance and other social security pensions.Highlighting reforms in the delivery of welfare benefits, he said the State Government had adopted a proactive model under which eligibility is determined automatically through the Parivar Pehchan Patra (Family ID) database. The system enables eligible citizens to receive their allowances without submitting applications or visiting government offices.Under the Har Ghar-Har Grihini Yojana, the Chief Minister also released Rs 24.25 crore as subsidy for LPG cylinder refills undertaken in September, benefiting 6.05 lakh women. Under the scheme, eligible women are provided LPG cylinders at a subsidized price of Rs 500 per month.