7th Pay Commission: Central govt employees to get Rs 2 lakh as 18-months DA arrears at one go?

The Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief of Central government employees and pensioners were restored to 31% from 17% from October 2021, however the arrears have not been deposited as yet. It has been speculated in the media that the employees will now get the arrears at one go –meaning that the amount could reach a whopping Rs 2 lakh for some band of employees.

Several media reports are now stating that the Union Cabinet is contemplating to take the matter for discussion. A Zee Hindi report, quoting Shiv Gopal Mishra of the National Council of JCM, had previously mentioned that the DA arrears of Level-1 employees range from Rs 11,880 to Rs 37,554. Whereas, for Level-13 (7th CPC basic pay scale Rs 1,23,100 to Rs 2,15,900) or Level-14 (pay scale), the DA arrears in the hands of an employee will be Rs 1,44,200-2,18,200 that will be paid, quoted the reports.

The report further adds that issues related to arrears were discussed between the National Council of JCM, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and the Finance Minister. However, no concrete answer was received. The employees are still adamant on the demand and talks are on with the government reportedly. However, it is expected that soon this can be discussed with the Cabinet Secretary. According to the annual report of the Department of Expenditure, there are a total of 48 lakh central employees in the country and about 60 lakh pensioners.