Mumbai, March 15: Central government employees under the 7th pay commission received a major blow when the Centre clarified in Lok Sabha that it won't be releasing 18-month DA arrears for its employees. This news came as a major shock for government employees who have been eagerly waiting to hear decisions about their pending demands.

Amid all of this, the demand to raise dearness allowance hike has been gaining momentum for a long time now. Government employees under the 7th CPC received their last DA hike in September 2022. They are yet to receive their first dearness allowance hike of this year. It must be noted that DA is hiked twice every year. 7th Pay Commission: Big Setback for Central Government Employees on 18-Month DA Arrears, Here’s What Centre Said.

Centre Expected To Raise DA Hike Soon:

Last year, the Centre raised DA twice - first in March and then six months later in September, which took the DA hike to 38 per cent from 34 per cent. As per a report in Times Now, the Center is expected to take a decision on the DA hike after the Union Cabinet meeting today. The first DA hike for government employees and pensioners could be announced anytime soon.

Earlier, reports had said that the DA hike would be announced on Holi, however, no announcement has been made as yet. If reports are to be believed, the Narendra Modi-led government could raise the dearness allowance by 4 per cent for its employees. A 4 per cent DA hike would take dearness allowance to 42 per cent and is also likely to boost the salary of government employees. 7th Pay Commission Good News Today: Here’s When Centre May Announce 4% DA Hike for Central Government Employees.

If approved, the 4 per cent DA hike would be effective from January 1, 2023. Meanwhile, government employees have also been demanding a new pay scale. Multiple reports in the media suggest that the Centre could introduce the 8th pay commission in 2024 before the Lok Sabha elections and implement it in 2016. This will go on to replace the existing 7th pay commission.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 15, 2023 03:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).