DA Arear Meeting – Latest Updates
JCM meeting related to Arrears of DA/DR for the period from 01.01.2020 to 01.01.2021, a meeting was held on 05.12.2022 under the Chairpersonship of SS(Pers.).
| Letter Number | No.26/1/2018-ElIB |
| Letter Dated | 09.12.2022 |
| Issued by | Department of Expenditure |
| Subject | DA Arear Meeting – Latest Updates |
| Signed By | Director |
| Download PDF | Click Here |
The meeting was attended by the following officers:-
(i) Ms. Annie George Mathew, SS(Pers.) – — (In Chair)
(ii) Shri M. Raghawaiah – Leader JCM Staff side
(iii) Shri Shiv Gopal Mishra – Secretary /Staff-side
(iv) Dr. Pramod Kumar – Director, Dio P&PW
(v) Shri Murli Bhavraju – Deputy Secretary, DOPT
(vi) Shri Sitansu Mohan Routary – Deputy Secretary, DOPT
(vii) Shri Charanjit Taneja – Under Secretary, Dio P&PW
(viii) Ms. Nirmala Dev – Director, D/o Expenditure
(ix) Shri Abhay Nandan Sahay – Under Secretary, DOE
Demand of Staff side as per item No. 27/SC/22 , is as under:
In the wake of the corona COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of India issued the O.M. dated 23.04.2020 whereby it was decided to not only freeze the payment of Dearness Allowance/ Relief due to the employee/ pensioners from 01.01.2020 to 01.07.2021 but also to deny the payment of arrears for 18 months. Virtually, the Government decided not to pay the DA/DR to the employees and pensioners on the specious plea that funds required for facing the situation created by the pandemic.
The Staff side had conveyed the resentment of the employees and pensioners in the matter to the Government immediately thereafter, there had been no consultation with the Staff side while taking such an important decision. It is a moot question whether such a unilateral decision is tenable or desirable, especially when the Staff side had always cooperated with the Govt. in all contingencies in the past. It is also pertinent to mention that the employees and even pensioners responded to the call given by the
Prime Minister for contribution and most of them contributed a day’s salary or pension to the P.M. relief fund. The denial of DA was an unprecedented step and could have very well avoided by the Govt. Both the employees and pensioners are presently in the grip of financial difficulties and the recently announced bail-out package of the Government has predominantly benefited a particular segment of the society. In view of the above, it is requested that the orders cited may kindly be rescinded and the
employees and pensioners be paid the DA/ DR already accrued to them.
Opening the discussion, S.S. (Pers.), stated that the decision to freeze 3 instalments of DA/DR was taken following the pandemic 2020 when finances were required for welfare measures taken by the Govt. for citizens at large. While the DA increase was restored with effect from 01.07.2021, payment of arrears was not considered feasible. As of now, the situation has not changed and the fiscal deficit is still running very high. Financing of welfare measures taken by the Govt. had a fiscal spill over beyond Financial Year 2020-21 and the arrears of DA/DR pertains to the difficult Financial Year of 2020-21.
The Staff side requested to reconsider the issue and grant the arrears of 3 instalments of DA/DR due for the period from 01.01.2020, 01.07.2020 and 01.01.2021 to Govt. employees. They also requested that a sympathetic view should be taken by the Govt. for pensioners who are facing financial difficulties.
It was decided that the matter may be reconsidered.
The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the Chair.
Minutes-of-the-meeting-of-DA