Nagaland DA hike: state employees to get 63% from July 2026

KOHIMA – The Nagaland government has raised the dearness allowance (DA) paid to its employees with effect from July 1, 2026. The Nagaland DA hike takes staff under the Revision of Pay (ROP) Rules, 2017 from 60 per cent to 63 per cent of pay, according to the office memorandum seen by Nagaland.News.

The Finance Department order, No. FIN/ROP/4/84/(Vol-II) dated November 12, 2026, is signed by Finance Commissioner Kesonyu Yhome. It also revises DA and additional dearness allowance (ADA) for employees who still draw pay under the older 2010, 1999 and 1993 pay rules, and says the Governor of Nagaland has approved the increase.

Nagaland DA hike: new rates under each pay rule

The memorandum sets four revised rates, all effective from July 1, 2026:

• ROP Rules, 2017: DA rises by 3 percentage points, from 60 per cent to 63 per cent of pay in the Pay Matrix.
• ROP Rules, 2010: DA rises by 7 points, from 262 per cent to 269 per cent of pay in the Pay Band, including Grade Pay.
• ROP Rules, 1999: DA rises by 14 points, from 483 per cent to 497 per cent of pay, including Dearness Pay.
• ROP Rules, 1993: ADA rises by 39 points, from 1,463 per cent to 1,502 per cent of pay.

The order builds on the department’s previous memorandum of the same number, dated June 18, 2026. It adds that paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 9 of an earlier order dated November 1, 2011 will continue to govern how DA and ADA are regulated.

The new 63 per cent rate for ROP 2017 staff matches the increase the Centre approved for its own employees. On October 28, the Union Cabinet raised dearness allowance and dearness relief for central government employees and pensioners from 60 per cent to 63 per cent, also from July 1, 2026, Outlook reported.

How the DA arrears will be paid

Employees will not receive most of the back pay in cash. Arrears for July 1 to October 31, 2026 will be credited to their General Provident Fund (GPF) or Contributory Provident Fund (CPF) accounts. The revised DA will be paid in cash from the November 2026 salary onwards.

The order lists the cases in which arrears can be paid in cash:

• Employees who have already retired or have died.
• Employees due to retire on superannuation on or before April 30, 2027.
• Employees who are not required to subscribe to a provident fund under their service rules, including those covered by the National Pension System (NPS).

For NPS employees, 10 per cent of the DA arrears will be deducted and paid into their NPS account, and the rest may be paid in cash. Government servants who have not yet opened a provident fund account can draw their arrears only after one is opened, so the money can be credited to it.

Limits on withdrawing the arrears until February 2028

Arrears credited to provident funds will not count as part of an employee’s balance for temporary or non-refundable withdrawals until February 28, 2028. Sanctioning authorities have been told to exclude the lump sum when they approve such withdrawals.

The restriction does not apply to a final withdrawal by employees who have retired, died or otherwise left service.

Heads of offices and drawing and disbursing officers (DDOs) must check every DA and ADA arrear bill to make sure no cash is paid outside the permitted groups, and certify each bill accordingly. For employees claiming cash because they are about to retire, the exact retirement date must be recorded. Gazetted officers must have a certificate stating that date on the bill itself, and the Treasury Officer is personally responsible for refusing cash arrears to serving gazetted officers without one.

What the order does not cover

The memorandum deals only with serving state government employees. It does not mention dearness relief for pensioners, and Nagaland.News had not seen a separate order on pensions at the time of writing. The order also gives no estimate of the cost to the state exchequer.

Copies have gone to the Principal Accountant General (A&E), Nagaland, and to the Principal Director of Treasuries and Accounts for circulation to all treasuries and sub-treasuries. The Publisher of the Nagaland Gazette has been asked to publish the notification, and the IT&C department and the Finance Department’s computer cell to post it on government websites.

Also read: Nagaland brings GST amendments into force from October 1, 2025