7th Pay Commission DA Arrear Update: The Government is under pressure about the outstanding DAs for central employees. The issue regarding pending DA is raised once more and the central employees are eagerly waiting for the pending DA. Central government employees and pensioners are demanding the return of their arrears of DA and DR which were withheld for 18 months during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following queries from many employee unions, the two MPs asked the government whether there are any plans now to waive 18 months of DA arrears for central government employees and pensioners.
Regarding the outstanding DAs of central employees, the government is under pressure from all directions. The issue about the outstanding DA is raised once more in the house. Two Members of Parliament questioned the central government about whether it is actively considering paying out the 18-month dearness allowance (DA) to pensioners and central employees. Senior opposition leader Akhilesh Yadav has also chastised the government in this regard. MPs asked the government to explain why they are not exempting tax at source despite our country being the third largest economy in the world. They further sought details of the representation received and steps taken in this regard till 2024.
18 months pending DA arrears now? What Govt answers
In response to a question “Is the government actively considering waiving 18 months of DA/DR for central government employees/ pensioners which were withheld during the COVID-19 pandemic?” Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said: No”.
In the Parliament, Union Minister of State for Finance Mr. Pankaj Chaudhary said that, due to the negative fiscal impact of the pandemic COVID-19, the decision to freeze three installments of DA/DR to central employees which is due from 1 Jan 2020, 7 July 2020, and Jan 2021 was taken. It also reduces pressure on Government finances. By freezing three DA installments, the government saved approximately Rs 3,442.32 crore, and the Centre utilized the fund to tide over the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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DA/ DR to Central Government Employees/Pensioners
Finance Minister Pankaj Chaudhary gave a written reply in Rajya Sabha on the matter. In this reply, he said: “The decision to suspend three installments of DA/ DR to Central Government Employees/Pensioners on 1st January 2020, 1st July 2020, and 1st January 2021 was taken in the context of COVID-19 and so that the pressure on government could be reduced.
The Minister said that as per the representation which is received from government employee associations including the National Council of Joint Consultative Machinery (NCJCM) till 2024, due to the negative fiscal impact of the pandemic and the social measures imposed by the government, the arrears of DA/DR payments were not considered possible.
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NCJCM Requested to the Government
The central government received a proposal from the NCJCM which is a joint consultative body for central employees. In a letter to Modi, the central government’s joint consultative body called for 14 long-standing demands, including clearing 18 months of DA arrears. In the letter they said there were several key issues plaguing central employees and pensioners. They request to the government to “pay 18 months of DA arrears to central government employees and pensioners, which were frozen during the COVID-19 pandemic.”