7th pay commission: DA arrears payment talks postponed, likely to happen in June

Now, the talk over the three installments of DA arrears is likely to take place in the month of June. (Representative Image)

The central government employees, who were waiting for the payment of the Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears, will have to wait for a little longer as talks between the National Council of JCM and officials from the Ministry of Finance and Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) have been delayed.

The meeting over the three installments of DA arrears-January 1, 2020, July 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021, could not take place in May due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Delhi and the subsequent lockdown, reported Mint.

The was initially scheduled on May 8 but due to the hike in COVID-19 cases in Delhi, the meeting got cancelled and rescheduled in the last week of May 2021. But, due to the extended coronavirus curbs, it could not happen then.

Now, the talk is likely to take place in the month of June, said the report.

The central government employees are expecting a hike in their 7th pay commission pay matrix as the three installments of DA has been put on hold by the central government till June 30, 2021, as per the report.

Read | 7th Pay Commission: Here is how much salary Central government employees will get from July 1

Talking about the proposed meeting, Shiva Gopal Mishra, Secretary — Staff Side at the National Council of JCM -- a central government servants' (CGS) representative body, told the publication that it couldn't take place in May due to the COVID-19 lockdown in Delhi.

“Now, the meeting is expected to take place by second to third week of June 2021 (as per the informal discussion between the officials of Ministry of Finance, DoPT and JCM office bearers)," Mishra was quoted as saying.

He further said that the delay in the meeting should not be taken as negative development as the central government officials are quite cooperative over the DA arrears payment of the CGS, said the report.