The West Bengal government on Wednesday announced 4% Dearness Allowance (DA) hike for government employees and pensioners from April 2025 in the state Budget. The government allocated ₹44,000 crore for rural development and Panchayats while ₹9,600 crore has been allocated to construct 16 lakh new houses in the upcoming financial year under the 'Banglar Bari' housing project.