When Will the Pending DA & DR Arrears Be Released?
Despite, the COVID-19 pandemic, civil servants receiving their salaries in India have had a cutoff on their Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) for a full 18 months from January 2020 till January 2021. This measure came in a bid to address some of the economic problems that had risen due to the pandemic.
Union Minister’s Update
As for the further payments of these suspended DA and DR the Union Minister of State for Finance, Prakash Chaudhry has opined that these would not be released in the near future. He said that the government is not in a position to address those arrears since it still feels the pinch from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today DA Status and Further Forecast
As can b seen, as of January 1, 2024, the DA has increased and stands at over 50%. It is expected that given that 7th Pay Commission has been winding up, there could be an improvement in, perhaps the basic pay of government employees and pensioners. The upcoming 8th Pay Commission continues to be in the pipeline and can be a boon to the employees; there are rumors that their basic pay is going to be raised soon.
Employees’ and Pensioners’ Stand
The employee and pensioner unions NCJCM and BMS have been aggressively demanding Pay commission recommended DA and DR arrears be released. Nevertheless, the government has not arrived at any decisions on these payments even though the abovementioned parties have taken all the necessary steps.
Altogether, although the release of the 18-month DA and DR arrears is not on the action plan for the near future, further revisions in the remunerations of employees may be in offing once the government steps on the process of moving to the 8th Pay Commission.
