Patna (Bihar): Bihar State Government has given its nod to long-awaited panchayat elections in the state.

The elections will be held in 11 phases and will begin from September 24, 2021, informed officials. The state election commission is scheduled to issue the notification for polls on August 24.

The Cabinet on Tuesday has also approved a proposal to increase the dearness allowance (DA) of state employees and also of pensioners along with a series of announcements. State workers will now get 28 per cent DA instead of 17 per cent, which will be in effect from July 1. The DA has been increased by 11 per cent.

Currently, Bihar has National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as the ruling party, headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, comprising of primarily the Janata Dal (United) and the Bharatiya Janata Party in the legislative assembly.