DA Arrear Update: Get the latest information on workers' 18-month DA arrears and when they will be reimbursed

 DA Arrear Update: Get the latest information on workers' 18-month DA arrears and when they will be reimbursed

DA Arrear Update: Get the latest information on workers' 18-month DA arrears and when they will be reimbursed

DA Arrear: This information is for you if you work as an employee. Actually, there has been a recent update about workers' 18-month deferred annuity arrears. As a result, it is said that the Central Government has raised the DA/DR of nearly one crore workers and pensioners by 4%.

The Central Government has boosted the DA/DR of nearly one crore workers and pensioners by four percent. Regarding the arrears of the 18% "DA" withheld throughout the Corona era, the administration remained silent. It was brought up by C. At the National Council (JCM) staff side meeting, Sreekumar, the general secretary of the All India Defense Employees Federation (AIDEF), was present.

Sreekumar, speaking on behalf of the workforce, has pleaded with the Secretary (P), DoPT, that the employees are entitled to the 18-month "DA" arrears. For this Diwali, arrears of DA/DR should be given to pensioners and workers as a present. By ceasing the aforementioned employee payment, the Central Government was able to save Rs 34,402.32 crore over the Corona period.

A report has been sent to the Ministry of Finance.

DA arrears have been brought up several times in the past. Senior member of the All India Defense Employees Federation (AIDEF) C. and general secretary of the "National Joint Council of Action" (NJCA). According to Sreekumar, concerns about the interests of the staff have been brought up often. These concerns include the restoration of the previous pension as well as a number of other requests. are traveling. In addition to all of this, there is also the ongoing battle for the payment of the 18 months of DA/DR that were suspended during the Corona era. The "Staff Side" National Council (JCM) has already sent a letter to the Cabinet Secretary requesting payment of the outstanding 18 months' worth of DA. The Finance Ministry has also received a report in this respect. The Supreme Court's ruling has also been referenced by the Central Government.

This justification offered by the Central Government

The payment of 18 months' worth of deferred wages (DA) that were halted during the Corona era has been a longstanding demand from retirees and workers of the Central Government. During this year's Parliamentary budget session, the Central Government acknowledged that it had received requests for the release of the overdue DA amount from several employee groups. However, the administration made it quite evident that it is not possible to release the DA arrears under the present conditions, rather than offering any firm commitment in this respect.

That is to say, the Central Government would not provide its workers DA/DR payments totaling more than Rs. 34 thousand crores. According to State Minister of Finance Pankaj Choudhary, the federal government's fiscal imbalance is still more than twice as high as that indicated under the FRBM Act. It is not feasible to make up DA/DR arrears in such a scenario. According to C. Sreekumar, the Supreme Court has ruled that in certain situations, the employee must pay the debt plus six percent interest.

DA payments were suspended during the Corona era.

During the Corona era, the Central Government discontinued the 18-month dearness allowance and the three payments of dearness relief from January 2020 to June 2021. The administration had said at the time that the economy was not doing well. The matter was then brought up by National Council of Ministers (JCM) Secretary Shiv Gopal Mishra at a meeting with the Cabinet Secretary. The employees had high hopes of receiving the unpaid sum. The Central Government outright denied this request at the most recent budgetary session.

As stated by C. The government is insane, Sreekumar. Under the guise of Covid-19, the Center has prohibited the DA/DR of public servants and retirees at the beginning of 2020. At that point, the federal government had stopped paying workers' 11% DA, saving crores of rupees. Following that, representatives of labor unions made a number of recommendations to the government for the payment of the remaining eighteen months' arrears. One of these also included paying off debts in full.

The announcement made by the government means this:

Following the Corona period, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said that workers will get dearness allowance at a rate of 28%. He made no mention of arrears at that point. The Union Minister's statement indicated that starting of July 1, 2021, the enhanced DA rate will be 28 percent.

This indicates that although no rise in DA rates was seen over the course of a year and a half, there was an abrupt surge of 11% in DA between June 2021 and July 2021. From January 1, 2020, until July 1, 2021, DA/DR was frozen. Three DA payments (1 January 2020, 1 July 2020, and 1 January 2021) were suspended during the Corona transition period. Following this, in July 2021, the government brought back the dearness allowance. After then, the government stopped making the last three 18-month installment payments.

What transpired at the 48th National Council meeting?

The Central Government was criticized by the employee unions for arrears in many Supreme Court rulings. Sreekumar claims that the Supreme Court has declared in its rulings that an employee's entitlement to a wage and pension is unalienable. In a letter dated April 16, 2021, the Secretary/Staff of the National Council (JCM) voiced their strong opposition to the government's decision to freeze DA/DR. The government's action, according to the workers, went against the pay panels' approved recommendations.

The Staff Side had requested that Central Government workers and pensioners get three payments of DA/DR beginning on January 1, 2020, at the 48th meeting of the National Council (JCM), which took place on June 26, 2021. The JCM Secretary referenced a ruling rendered by the Supreme Court in February 2021 in his correspondence with the Cabinet Secretary.

The Supreme Court ruled in this case that an employee's pay or pension may be temporarily suspended owing to an economic downturn. When things go better, it has to be given back to the workers. This is the employees' legal entitlement. They ought to be paid according to the law.