7th Pay Commission: Central government employees' 18-month DA arrears issue could be resolved soon; details

7th Pay Commission latest news: A decision on the long standing issue of 18-months finally looks set to arrive, an important development which will be music to the ears of lakhs of central government employees.

There is a lot of hope on the employee side that their demand for arrears for the duration when DA hikes were frozen will be answered this time. In the latest development in the matter, the time for talks on the issue between the staff side and the cabinet secretary, Zee News reported citing sources. 

While there has been no update on the issue of 18-month DA arrear from the government till now, the employees side is hopeful of receiving a handsome amount this time. The central government employees have adamantly been demanding the arrear citing the rising inflation.

How much DA arrears are central government employees expected to get?

Different employees have different arrears, the report said citing Shiv Gopal Mishra of National Council of JCM (Staff Side). The range of DA arrear for employees under Level-1 is between Rs 11,880 to Rs 37,554. On the other hand, for the ones with maximum basic salary on Level-13 and Level-14 pay scale under 7th Pay Commission will be between Rs 1,23,100-2,15,900 and Rs 1,44,200-Rs 2,18,200, respectively.

The DA hike for central government employees had been frozen for the period amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The DA hike was again started with an outright hike of 11 percent. 

Employees have been continuously demanding arrears for the period but the government had no plans to take up the issue. The Finance Ministry clarified last year that the arrears would not be paid. However, the employees side has continued asking for resolution of the matter. 

Recent reports suggest a resolution might now be on the cards. The DA of central government employees currently stands at 38% after a 4% latest hike.

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