7th Pay Commission: Big update on DA arrears – Good news soon for central government employees

Good news may be on the horizon for central government employees who have been waiting for official update on DA arrears of 18 months. From October 2021, central government employees and pensioners saw their Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief restored to 31% from 17%. However, the arrears have not yet reached their bank accounts.

 

As per latest reports in the media, the meeting on DA arrears could happen this week. As per earlier reports, Cabinet Council is planning a one-time settlement amount towards DA arrears on hold for the past 18 months. This would bring the arrear deposit to up to Rs 2 lakh for some employees as per their band.

Another recent report in Zee News Hindi quoted National Council of JCM’s Shiv Gopal Mishra mentioning that the DA arrear amounts of employees in Level-1 range between Rs 11,880 and Rs 37,554. For Level-13 or Level-14, this amount would range from Rs 1,44,200 to 2,18,200.

Earlier, several arrear-related discussions were held between the National Council of JCM, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and the Finance Ministry, as per the report.

While talks have been underway, employees have been adamant on their demands. The issue may soon be brought in front of the Cabinet Secretary for discussion. There are around 48 lakh central government employees and 60 lakh pensioners currently, as per the annual report of the Department of Expenditure.