7th Pay Commission: Latest Updates on Pending DA Arrears and Next Dearness Allowance Hike

The government will settle the 18-month pending Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears soon and this is a big news for lakhs of Central government employees who have been waiting for it since a long time.

According to several media sources, the central government employees would receive their DA arrears in three installments.

In light of the COVID-19 epidemic, it is important to note that the central government employees' allowance payments were halted from January 2020 to June 2021. And for a long time, there was a growing demand for releasing the due DA arrears.

Additionally, the government was still debating the request to pay the arrears. According to media reports, Level-3 employees' DA arrears will be between Rs. 11,880 and Rs. 37,554, and Level-13 or Level-14 employees' arrears will be between Rs. 1,44,200 and Rs. 2,18,200.

The Center increased the Dearness Allowance for Central Government employees by 4% in September. The DA increased to 38 percent from 34 percent.

The Dearness Allowance for government employees was 31 percent before January 2022, then raised to 34 percent. 61 lakh pensioners nationwide and more than 50 lakh government employees have benefited from the 4% DA hike.

When is the Next DA Hike?

Government employees are currently asking for updates on their anticipated DA hikes. Based on the Centre's choices about DA raises and recent trends, it is predicted that government employees will receive their next DA raise in March 2023.

According to sources, the Centre plans to increase the DA on the basis of the 7th Pay Commission's recommendations by 3 to 5 percent.