7th Pay Commission news: The latest news from the 7th Pay Commission is that central employees have been taken aback. The government has provided written information to the Rajya Sabha regarding the arrears of DA, or Dearness Allowance, for the last 18 months. The information provided by the Finance Ministry in the Rajya Sabha has dashed all hopes. The 18-month DA arrears option is no longer available. According to the central government, the money for the three instalments will not be delivered.

18-month DA arrears

During the Covid-19, three DA arrears payments were halted: January 1, 2022, July 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021. The Finance Minister has informed central government employees that arrears of more than 18 months will not be paid.

Dearness Allowance will be reinstated by the government in July 2021. However, no mention was made of the three payments’ money that had gone unpaid for the previous 18 months. The government increased the dearness allowance by 11% beginning July 1, 2021. Following that, the dearness allowance increased from 17% to 28% beginning in July 2021. It is, however, currently at 38%. However, the workers also sought compensation for the 18 months during which the dearness allowance was suspended.

Pensioners’ DA arrears

The Finance Ministry stated in the Rajya Sabha that Dearness Relief pensioners will not receive DA arrears. The written response stated that there is no such provision and that the government is not even considering it.

Pensioners also pleaded with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in a letter addressing the demand for DA arrears last year. However, no decision was made in this matter.

Dearness Allowance or Dearness Relief is a right of employees and pensioners, according to the Employees Union, and it cannot be stopped because employees worked hard during the Corona period. The Employees Union has asked the government to look into other aspects of the same issue. The unions, on the other hand, are developing a strategy for the movement.

Government saved Rs34,000

The government has saved Rs 34,000 crore since it stopped paying dearness allowance. The combined arrears of Dearness Allowance (DA) for employees and Dearness Allowance (DR) for federal government retirees are estimated to be in the region of Rs 34,000 crore.