7th Pay Commission Update: It seemed that the demand for DA arrears of 18 months would not be raised, but that is not the case. The demand for DA arrears is still rising rapidly among the central employee organisations. A few days ago, during the 63rd meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Council of the Joint Consultative Mechanism, this demand was raised afresh.
The question on everyone’s mind is whether the central employees will receive the demand for 18 months of DA arrears. Many such big questions remain. However, the government has also completely denied this demand in the House.
When were the DA arrears stopped?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government suspended the payment of 18 months’ DA for all employees due to the weak and crumbling economy. The government did not send the DA arrears money from January 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, to the account. Central employees continued to demand this, but there was no positive response from the government.
Then, finally, the government answered the question of DA arrears in Rajasthan. The government stated that we do not have a proposal, which is why the 18-month DA arrears cannot be approved. The renewed demand has once again awakened the sleeping hopes. If the government adopts the DA arrears, it will prove to be like a booster dose.
When will the new pay commission be implemented?
Apart from DA arrears, all the central employees are also eyeing the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission. In January 2025, the Modi government announced the formation of a new pay commission; however, its committee has not been established yet. In such a situation, it is believed that there may be some delay in implementing the 8th Pay Commission.
The government can implement it by January 1, 2027. If tradition is considered paramount, then it will be 10 years since the 7th Pay Commission was implemented. According to this, the new Pay Commission should be implemented on January 1, 2026, but its chances seem almost nil.