Kerala is at the forefront among states when it comes to the number of government employees awaiting payment of dearness allowance (DA) arrears.
Dearness allowance (DA) is a form of adjustment to the cost of living for public sector employees and pensioners which the government provides to all state employees. While many states have settled their arrears up until the previous year, Kerala, on the other hand, still has pending payments for five instalments spanning 2.5 years.
This failure to grant the DA has not only resulted in government employees experiencing a monthly reduction of 15 per cent in their basic salary. Additionally, some media reports are also suggesting that the central government may announce an additional four percent DA in July, which would cause Kerala’s arrears to increase to 19 per cent. If the situations prevails the same until the next Pay Revision, the employees will not even receive the instalments.
Hence, the employees are trying to persuade the government to approve the instalments gradually, as it will lead to an increase in salaries, and the arrears will be combined with the provident fund. If the pending 15 per cent of DA is granted, the DA will reach up to 22 per cent of the basic pay.
Recently, the government of Uttar Pradesh and Tamilnadu has raised the DA hike by 4 per cent for all the state employees and pensioners, raising it from 18 per cent to 22 per cent. Whereas, on the other hand, government employees in West Bengal are expressing their opposition to chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s statements regarding job losses and demands for dearness allowance (DA). The chief minister mentioned that job seekers from families supporting the Trinamool Congress (TMC) would not receive preferential treatment in employment due to the presence of coordination committee members in the Public Service Commission.