DA Arrears: Central personnel may soon get good news, and will get 18 months of DA/DR arrears!

During the Corona period, there is a possibility of getting 18 months' arrears of DA / DR of Central Government employees. Sources say that the central government can take a positive decision in this regard soon. On the other hand, the pressure of central workers on the government to issue arrears is increasing. On August 18, Shiv Gopal Mishra, secretary of the National Council of Staff Side, has written a letter to the cabinet secretary and chairman of the National Council (JCM). In this, he has said that with effect from January 1, 2020, July 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021, 'arrears' of dearness allowance/dearness relief should be released immediately. A detailed discussion was held with the government in this regard. The Secretaries and Members of the National Council of the 'Staff Side' are ready to discuss the method of release of arrears.

The employees cited the Supreme Court's decision

Shiv Gopal Mishra in his letter to the Cabinet Secretary has referred to a decision of the Supreme Court on 08 February 2021. The Supreme Court in its decision had said that due to economic crisis, the salary or pension of the employees can be temporarily stopped. However, it will have to be given back to the employees once the situation improves. This is the right of the workers. They should be paid according to the law. As Shiv Gopal Mishra, the central government is aware that the personnel working under the army, railways, health, rural development, agriculture, and other ministries have selflessly supported the government during the Corona period. At the beginning of the year 2020, the Center announced with a shock that government employees would not get DA, DR, and other allowances. Even after that, the workers worked step by step with the government.

Loss caused to retired or killed personnel during the Corona period

During the Corona period, government employees and pensioners had to face many financial problems due to a lack of dear allowance and dearness relief. Many government employees also retired during this period. Some workers and pensioners also died. They have suffered a lot due to the non-availability of DA and DR. Who will compensate the gratuity and other payments of such employees who have retired between January 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021? Those workers were not at fault, but still, they have been deprived of the prescribed economic benefits. JCM member C. Sreekumar says the central government had banned the DA-DR of government employees and pensioners under the guise of Kovid-19. All the personnel performed their responsibilities well. These workers had deposited one day's salary in the PM Care Fund. The government had then saved Rs 40,000 crore by stopping the payment of 11 percent DA of the workers.

Advised to do one-time settlement of DA 'arrears'

Employees' organizations had suggested various options to the central government regarding the payment of DA arrears of central employees withheld for 18 months. These included a one-time payment of arrears as well. Not only this, the staff side secretary Shiv Gopal Mishra and other members had also told the government about the issue of arrears that if it wants to discuss any other way, then the employees' organizations are ready for that too. The Indian Pensioners' Forum had appealed to Prime Minister Modi to pay the arrears of dearness allowance and dearness relief to central employees and pensioners. In a letter to the PM, the forum had urged for early disposal of this matter. Even after that, the Center did not take any decision in this regard. If arrears are given by the central government, then its direct benefit will reach the existing 48 lakh employees and 64 lakh, pensioners.

This announcement was made by the government after the Corona period.

When the Central Government announced to give DA after the Corona period, it mentioned that from January 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, the rate of 'DA' and 'DR' would be considered as 17 percent only. Union Minister Anurag Thakur had said, now dearness allowance will be available at the rate of 28 percent. At that time he did not say anything about the arrears. The meaning of the announcement of the Union Minister was that the rate of increased DA should be assumed to be 28 percent from July 1, 2021. According to this, between June 2021 and July 2021, there was a sudden increase of 11 percent in DA, while no increase in DA rates was recorded in one and a half years. DA-DR was frozen from January 1, 2020, to July 1, 2021. This issue of arrears was raised by the representatives of the employees' unions in the JCM meeting. On behalf of the staff side, the central government was told that it would have to pay the arrears of the workers.

There was an increase in the rate of 'DA' in March this year

This year, the Central Government approved a three percent increase in the 'Dearness Allowance' i.e. their DA to the employees. The benefit of this increase had reached 48 lakh employees and 64 lakh, pensioners. After the approval of the file to increase DA in the meeting of the Union Cabinet, the DA was increased from 31 percent to 34 percent. The increased DA rates came into effect on January 1. The Center had said that after the implementation of DA rates, an additional burden of Rs 9540 crore will be imposed on the exchequer every year. Whenever the DA of the existing employees is increased by the Central Government, at the same time there is an increase in the Dearness Relief 'DR' for the pensioners. The DA rate was to be increased in July this year, but till now the government has not made any announcement. Representatives of employee unions say that there is a deliberate delay by the government in increasing the DA rate and releasing 18 months of arrears. If the government does not take any decision in this regard soon, then various employees organizations will make a hue and cry in Delhi.

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