Impatient for an economic upsurge, a majority of Kerala’s youth are inclined to vote the Congress-led United Democratic Front to power, a Deccan Chronicle-C Fore survey has found.
This time they will vote for “sadak-bijli-paani” rather than on caste and community lines — echoing a trend seen in several other states. The survey, conducted between March 3 and 19 among the 18-25 age group, posed a direct question: which party/coalition will you vote for if the Assembly election was held tomorrow.
Altogether 42 per cent of respondents plumped for the UDF while 31 per cent preferred the ruling LDF. This showed the UDF has an 11 per cent edge over the LDF among young voters.
Twenty per cent were still undecided, while seven per cent backed the BJP and others. The election is still three weeks away.
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DA is hiked by 6% for Central staff, pensioners
Age Correspondent
New Delhi
March 22: In major relief to over 50 lakh Central employees and around 38 lakh pensioners, the Union Cabinet on Tuesday decided to increase dearness allowance by six per cent, with effect from January 2011.
Its combined impact on the Central exchequer will be `5,715.90 crores annually. In the next financial year, the burden will be `6,668.52 crores after the additional 6 per cent DA payout is factored in from January 1 to March 31 this year.
Central employees now get 45 per cent of basic pay as DA. The six per cent hike is in line with the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations.
The hike in DA, usually revised twice a year, comes as inflation hovers at around nine per cent.