NEW DELHI: Employees of the Delhi Government have objected to withholding their periodical raise in the dearness allowance (DA) by the city government despite being notified by the Central government.
The employees have written to the L-G VK Saxena and sought his intervention in the matter. “We would like to bring to your kind notice that the instalment of Dearness Allowance at 4 per cent of the basic pay due with effect from 1 July 2023, has not been paid to the employees of Govt. of NCT of Delhi till date. It is, therefore, most respectfully prayed that your Honour, in the capacity of the chief administrator of NCT of Delhi, may kindly be pleased to issue suitable instructions to the Govt. of NCT of Delhi for payment of the DA instalment due to the employees w.e.f. 01.07.2023 with arrears till date,” the letter by the Indian Public Service Employee’s Federation (IPSEF) read.
Employees said that the hike in the DA has been notified by the Centre but is pending endorsement by the finance department. “Generally, it takes only a week for the Delhi government to endorse the hike (in DA). This time, they are sitting over the decision for months,” a city government employee said.
“The city government endorses and implements orders given by the centre with respect to pay allowance, LTC, and other salary benefits. There are no separate rules for the employees of the Delhi government and the Centre,” another employee added. No response could be received from the finance department on the issue. The DA is hiked two times a year in January and July based on the inflation index prepared by the Central government.