DA Update – For lakhs of central government employees and pensioners, the DA arrears of 18 months is no longer just a number, but has become a big issue related to respect and justice. During the Corona epidemic, from March 2020 to June 2021, the government had frozen Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief. Since then, this issue has been raised repeatedly, but in the name of solution, only promises and procrastination have been seen.
Recently, in the 63rd National Council meeting held at the Civil Services Officers Institute in Delhi, this issue again heated up and the employee organizations unanimously demanded the government to immediately pay the DA arrears of 18 months. Although no new announcement was made by the government, the rhetoric and debates have definitely intensified.
Is the employees’ anger justified?
During the Corona pandemic, when the entire country was under lockdown, even then government employees remained on their duty. Be it health workers, police force, railway employees or banking staff – everyone worked risking their lives. In such a situation, the employees say that at that time the government did not respect our services, but on the contrary, hurt us financially by freezing DA for 18 months.
Employee organizations are clearly saying that this is not a “gift” but their hard-earned money which they should get under all circumstances.
What is the government saying?
The Finance Ministry once again repeated the same old tune that due to Covid-19, there was a lot of pressure on the government’s economy. Many decisions like free ration, vaccine, economic relief package incurred huge expenditure. That is why DA had to be frozen at that time. Even now the situation is not completely normal and due to this the government is unable to pay DA arrears.
The government also says that priorities are being re-determined and the demands of the employees will definitely be considered, but there is no guarantee of an immediate solution.
Eighth Pay Commission and new hopes
The Eighth Pay Commission was also discussed in the meeting. Employee organizations want the government to constitute the commission as soon as possible so that the revision of salary can start from January 1, 2026. If the recommendations of the commission are implemented late, the employees want the pending DA arrears to be paid by adding it to it.
This demand of the employees is completely justified because since the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission in 2016, both inflation and expenditure have increased rapidly, but there has been no major increase in salary.
Another good news for employees?
A new proposal regarding the employee insurance scheme also came up in the meeting. The government said that a new insurance scheme will soon be launched in which employees and their families will get better security and coverage. Although its details have not been made public yet, it is expected that this scheme will have low premium and more benefits.
This can be a positive initiative provided it is truly in the interest of the employees and is not just confined to paper.
Growing resentment of employees
It is clear that employees now want action, not just assurances. The DA arrears of 18 months may be a huge amount for the government, but for the employees it is the fruit of their hard work, which they must get at any cost.
Many organizations have warned that if a concrete decision is not taken soon, they will take to the streets and protest. Employees say that if the government wants, it can pay the DA amount in installments, but remaining silent and repeatedly postponing it is now intolerable.
What could be the solution?
Now the question arises whether any middle path can be found? Experts believe that:
- If the government wants, it can pay the DA arrears in three to four installments
- This can be cleared by adding it to the recommendations of the 8th Pay Commission
- Or it can be resolved under a special relief package before 2026
All these options will not put a huge burden on the government at one time and will also provide relief to the employees.
More than three years have passed but the issue of DA arrears of 18 months is still pending. Every time there are meetings, discussions, but no solution is found. Now the time has come for the government to stop just citing “financial crisis” and listen to those employees who did not stop serving the country even during the pandemic.
The government must understand that happy employees = better service, and if their morale drops, it will impact the entire system
