PUNJAB GOVT. DIRECTED TO CLEAR DA TO GOVT. EMPLOYEES WITHIN 15 DAYS

Face2News/Chandigarh

Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday directed the government to clear dearness allowance (DA) dues of government employees and pensioners within 15 days. Also, it restrained the state from undertaking a large-scale advertisement campaign until the dues are paid. The order to release DA will entail a liability of an estimated Rs 14,191 crore. 

Till all such dues are cleared, the state of Punjab shall not resort to any unproductive expenditures such as large-scale advertising campaigns in print or social media as these expenses cannot justify the denial of dues admissible to state employees,” the Bench observed.The Bench said the payment be done within a fortnight and in case of default, the unpaid amounts shall carry simple interest of six per cent per annum.

The court said a compliance report be filed before the end of this month.State counsel Maninderjit Singh Bedi had submitted that the single judge’s direction for release of pending DA was “corum non-judice”. 

Meanwhile , Punjab Govt. said, Punjab Government employees have historically received salaries substantially higher than their Central Government counterparts, with employees in several cadres drawing 30% to 70% higher pay under Punjab’s pay structure. Despite providing Dearness Allowance (DA) at 42%, compared to the Central Government’s 60%, Punjab employees in many categories continue to receive higher aggregate monthly salaries because of the State’s higher pay scales.

The Punjab Government has consistently maintained that it is willing to ensure that no employee receives less than the total emoluments payable under the Central Government pay scale together with the Central Government DA rate. However, the State has maintained that the higher Central Government DA rate cannot be applied on top of Punjab’s already higher pay scales, as the two pay structures cannot be combined. The State has also maintained that fixation of Dearness Allowance is a sovereign policy decision of the State Government.

Punjab already bears the highest salary and pension burden among major Indian states. According to the State Government, implementation of the judgment is expected to further increase this burden, reducing the fiscal space available for capital and developmental expenditure.

Punjab Govt Employees Already Receive Higher Salaries Than Their Central Govt Counterparts

* Clerk: Punjab ₹54,812 | Centre ₹36,960 | Punjab higher by ₹17,852

* Driver: Punjab ₹40,612 | Centre ₹36,960 | Punjab higher by ₹3,652

* Stenographer: Punjab ₹56,374 | Centre ₹47,360 | Punjab higher by ₹9,014

* ETT Teacher: Punjab ₹67,592 | Centre ₹65,760 | Punjab higher by ₹1,832

* Constable: Punjab ₹54,812 | Centre ₹36,960 | Punjab higher by ₹17,852