Mumbai, March 14: Central government employees under the 7th pay commission have been eagerly awaiting to hear about decisions regarding dearness allowance hike, and the release of DA arrears among others. While the Narendra Modi-led government was supposed to take decisions on DA hike, and Fitment Factor rate before Holi 2203, it seems the wait is likely to get extended.

Among all the pending decisions, the release of dearness allowance arrears has been one of the top demands of central government employees. For a long time, government employees have been demanding the release of DA arrears. It must be noted that the centre has not paid its employees DA arrears of 18 months from January 2020 to June 2021. 7th Pay Commission Good News Today: Here’s When Centre May Announce 4% DA Hike for Central Government Employees.

Central Has No Plan To Release 18-Months DA Arrears:

According to a report in the Financial Express, the Central government has no plan to release the 18-month DA arrears for its employees. The Centre had stopped the release of DA arrears in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Responding to a query about DA arrears in the Lok Sabha, Pankaj Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for Finance that arrears are not considered feasible due to fiscal spillover beyond FY 2020-21 and adverse effects of the pandemic in 2020.

"Even now the fiscal deficit of the Government is running at more than double the level envisaged in the FRBM Act," he told the Lok Sabha while responding to questions regarding the release of 18 months of DA arrears. While the minister has clearly stated the government's plans, reports suggest that the Centre could release DA arrears after raising the DA hike and fitment factor rate. 7th Pay Commission to Be Soon Replaced by 8th Pay Commission? Check Latest News Update Here.

Meanwhile, the government is also expected to raise the DA hike of its employees in the coming days. If reports are to be believed, the Centre could raise DA by 3 to 5 per cent, however, an official announcement by the government is awaited.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 14, 2023 03:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).