DA Hike: Big news for employees. The Chhattisgarh Employees and Officers Federation has called for the payment of dearness allowance (DA), including arrears, to be made before Diwali. They are urging that the outstanding 5 percent DA, along with the arrears, be disbursed to state government employees and pensioners, in line with what the central government provides.
Kamal Verma, the provincial convener of the federation and the state president of the Chhattisgarh Gazetted Officers Association, has reached out to Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai and Finance Minister OP Choudhary with a letter requesting the necessary directives. In the letter, the Federation stated, “The Bharatiya Janata Party has committed in its manifesto to provide dearness allowance to state government employees on par with the Centre, including any arrears.”
Demand for DA to Match Central Rates
The Federation points out that state employees currently receive a 58 percent dearness allowance, which is 5 percent lower than that of the Central Government. With inflation on the rise, employees and pensioners are struggling to meet their families’ financial needs. Therefore, it is crucial to pay the pending dearness allowance, including arrears, as emphasized by Kamal Verma, Provincial Coordinator.
Chhattisgarh Employees Officers Federation’s Request
Kamal Verma mentioned that the Chhattisgarh Employees and Officers Federation addressed the DA issue during their provincial meeting on September 6th. The meeting reached a unanimous decision to formally request the government to release the dearness allowance before Diwali. It was also agreed that if the government does not respond positively soon, the Federation would have no choice but to initiate a strong protest.