With Onam around the corner, the Government of Kerala has sanctioned one instalment of dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) to employees and service pensioners.
This sanction will benefit not just state government employees and teachers, but also those working for the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Medical Services.
The instalment will be paid along with the salary and pension starting 1 September. This instalment is a part of the pending arrears from 1 July, 2022. It is pertinent to mention here that arrears are pending for about 37 months but the state government is yet to specify the period for which the arrears are being paid in next month’s instalment.
The release of DA/DR instalment was announced by the Finance Department post the Kerala High Court being ordered by the government to file an affidavit regarding follow-up action on what Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had assured in the Assembly.
Last year, that is, in July 2024, the Chief Minister had revealed to the State Legislative Assembly that seven instalments of DA/DR were pending. He had also shared that the state government would clear two instalments every year for employees and pensioners.
It is reported that on On 22 September, the court will consider a plea demanding that at least 25 per cent of the revised DA for university employees be released.
