This is a nothing new announcement for some over 1 crore central government employees and pensioners whose Dearness Allowance (DA) dues for 18 months shall now be considered after nearly an endless wait time during which their dues were already denied since January 2020 up to June 2021, when those allowances were increased due to COVID pandemic-induced economic conditions. It looks like the government is weighing its options, which would mean providing financial relief to lakhs of other employees.
DA Arrears Issue: What Happened?
As is the widely held belief among government employees and pensioners-for whom the freeze was understandable to partially save money amid the pandemic-DA was frozen for three installments of these dearness allowance:
- January 2020.
- July 2020.
- January 2021.
The actual DA was given again in July 2021, but the employees had not yet received the full dues of 18 months up till then. Since then, many employee unions and pensioners’ associations have been clamoring for the government to bear the demand.
What Amount In Arrears Are Employees Expected to Get?
In general, the amount of DA arrears will differ as per the basic salary and pay grade of employees. Here is a basic idea of what may be expected.
- Level 1 (Basic Pay ₹18,000) employees may get somewhere between ₹11,000 – ₹37,000.
- Level 13 and above (Basic Pay ₹1,23,100 or more) employees are likely eligible for the due amounts of about ₹1,44,000 to ₹2,18,000.
In short, when duly approved by the government, DA arrears might, in fact, be more than ₹2 lakh for those in high positions.
Government Position Regarding DA Dues
The discussions with the Finance Ministry were held to further develop the resolutions presented by the JCM Staff Side. In other words, a discussion apparently took place about the demands, yet an official announcement could still be a little far-fetched. There is this talk that a partial payment-or one-time settlement-could be given a thought to and that the full payment may not be on the cards.
When Should Employees Expect DA Arrears?
As such, according to what was read in the sources, a decision concerning the issue was to be formalized before the upcoming General Budget or the 8th pay commission announcement. If that occurs, central government employees and pensioners would be likely to receive dues in installments or a lump sum payment by the year 2025.
Conclusion
The employees at the center are, however, worried regarding the DA arrears issue for 18 months. As pressure on the government to come to a decision on this issue from the unions has been mounting, it is expected that a resolution will be forthcoming, in the near future, bringing relief for over 1 crore employees and pensioners. Therefore, please stay in touch for more inputs on this very issue.
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