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Centre to restore dearness allowance benefit for govt employees? Decision likely soon
The dearness allowance benefits of the central government employees and the additional installment of the dearness relief benefits for central government pensioners were withheld by the finance ministry last year in January in view of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) situation in the country.
Amid talks of a likely cabinet expansion of the Narendra Modi-led central government, a major decision regarding the Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) benefits of government employees as per the seventh pay commission guidelines may also be on its way soon, said officials familiar with the development. The Union cabinet meeting slated for 11am on Wednesday was expected to take the final call on restoring the DA and the DR benefits for central government employees and pensioners, respectively, reports indicated. However, the meeting was later cancelled by the government.
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) and Cabinet meetings that were scheduled today have been cancelled, the central government informed early on Wednesday morning. No written agenda was, however, set for the cabinet meeting, which was to be conducted virtually, via video-conferencing.
Earlier, the administration had decided to restore the DA benefits for the central government employees and DR benefits for the central government pensioners following a meeting between the Union ministry of finance and the department of personnel and training (DoPT) on June 26. It was said that the DA and the DR benefits of the central government employees and pensioners, respectively, will be restored from September later this year. However, it was also said that the final call regarding the matter will reserve with the Union cabinet, which might make a decision soon in this regard in its next meeting.
The Congress party, in the meanwhile, has urged the central government to hasten up its decision-making process and immediately restore the DA and the DR benefits. The grand old party has even accused the Modi government of being unfair towards government employees and pensioners, including armed forces personnel, regarding the payment of their due DA and DR benefits. Rahul Gandhi alleged that the government took to "looting" ₹37,500 crore from soldiers, government employees, and pensioners, adding that it is a "crime" amid such times of decreasing salaries and rising inflation.
The dearness allowance benefits of the central government employees and the additional installment of the dearness relief benefits for central government pensioners were withheld by the finance ministry last year in January in view of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) situation in the country. However, now that the second wave of the pandemic is gradually receding, it is believed that the government may make the major decision to restore the DA and the DR benefits soon.
