The Union Finance Ministry has stated that it has not issued any orders relating to the payment of dearness allowance increases for central government employees and dearness relief for its retirees. A document claiming the resumption of dearness allowance for central government employees and dearness relief for pensioners as of July this year is fake, according to the finance ministry.
“A document is doing rounds on social media claiming resumption of DA to Central Government employees & Dearness Relief to Central Government pensioners from July 2021. ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ถ๐ #๐๐๐๐. ๐ก๐ผ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ข๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ถ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐,” the ministry tweeted late on Saturday.
The purported memorandum, which has gone viral on social media, claims that the dearness allowance and dearness relief, which have been frozen due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be reinstated on July 1. It also states that pending DAs and DRs will be issued in three instalments between July 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021. This order will apply to all central government employees and retirees, according to the statement.
The government announced in March that starting July 1, central government employees and retirees will receive full benefits of the allowance, with all three pending instalments restored. The first, second, and third instalments were due in January 2020, July 2020, and January 2021, respectively. Due to the pandemic, the finance ministry put the increase in dearness allowance for central government employees and pensioners on hold until June 30, 2021.
โIn view of the crisis arising out of COVID-19, it has been decided that additional instalment of dearness allowance payable to central government employees and dearness relief (DR) to central government pensioners due from January 1, 2020, shall not be paid,” the department of expenditure said. The department also said that the additional instalment of DA and DR due from July 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021, shall also not be paid but those at current rates will continue to be paid.
The Congress chastised the government on Saturday for failing to release the dearness allowance, which had been suspended since last year, and demanded that it be reinstated immediately. ย โInstead of encouraging the 113 lakh employees engaged in the service during the coronavirus pandemic the central government is trying to snatch their hard-earned money It is a crime to lootย โน37,500 crore from soldiers, government employees and pensioners” Rahul Gandhi tweeted.
Abhishek Singhvi, a Congress leader, also stated that the government should ensure that employees and retirees receive their “actual real arrears.” Singhvi claimed that deferring the cut until June 2021 would save the government only 38,00 crore in employment costs.ย He said the delay in the release of allowance is a reflection of the governmentโs โinnate hypocrisy and double standardsโ.
Abhishek Singhvi, a Congress leader, also stated that the government should ensure that employees and retirees receive their “actual real arrears.” Singhvi claimed that deferring the cut until June 2021 would save the government only 38,00 crore at the expense of its workers. He claimed that the government’s “innate hypocrisy and double standards” are reflected in the delay in releasing allowances.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stated that the welfare of the people is the government’s top priority. โAfter considering all the factors, the government will make an appropriate decision,โ BJP leader Gopal Agarwal said.
