New Delhi | Jagran Business Desk: About 52 lakh Central government employees and 62 lakh pensioners of the central government can have a moment of celebration this July as major news is being expected related to their Dearness Allowance (DA) as well as their Dearness Relief (DR).
The date of the meeting between the Employees Union and government officials has been fixed to cater for the concerns related to pending Dearness Allowance (DA). It must be noted that due to the Coronavirus pandemic, for the past year and a half, the government has halted any increase in the Dearness Allowance of Central government employees. The employees are expected to receive three instalments of their Dearness Allowance (DA) once the government releases this halt.
What is the agenda of the meeting?
The group of Central government’s employees, represented by the National Council of Joint Consultative Machinery (NCJCM) will meet the government officials to address the Dearness Allowance matter on June 26. According to NCJCM, earlier the meeting was slated to take place on May 8 but was cancelled due to rising cases of Coronavirus. According to NCJCM secretary Shiv Gopal Mishra, the group is set to meet the officials of the Finance Ministry’s Department of Personnel and Training to specifically address the Dearness Allowance arrears under the recommendations of the 7th pay commission. This also includes the Dearness Relief (DR) for the pensioners.
Center must give arrears in instalments: NCJCM
National Council of Joint Consultative Machinery’s secretary Shiv Gopal Mishra adds that if the government cannot pay the arrears at once then it must do so in instalments. Following which the government finances won’t be burdened at once.
DA may increase up to 32 per cent:
The employees’ groups say that between June 2020 to July 2021, Dearness Allowance (DA) must increase by up to 32 per cent. Currently, the employees are receiving 17 per cent DA, which was increased up to 21 per cent in 2019. Following which the freeze of DA hike was put until June 2021.