Before LS poll announcement, Andhra govt orders releasing DA to employees

Less than 24 hours before the announcement of the Lok Sabha and Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections schedule, the state government issued orders for releasing dearness allowance (DA) to employees pertaining to multiple time periods.

Special Chief Secretary (Finance) Shamsher Singh Rawat issued a government order (GO) on Friday night for the release of DA to government employees for the period from July 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021.

He issued orders for the release of DA with effect from January 1, 2022 to eligible government employees.

Also, the Special Chief Secretary said the government has issued orders to release DA raising it from 22.75 per cent to 26.39 per cent of the basic pay with effect from July 1, 2022.

Similarly, the state government issued orders to revise the DA for government employees from 26.39 per cent to 30.03 per cent of the basic pay with effect from January 1, 2023.

The state government issued orders to revise DA rates with respect to employees drawing revised UGC Pay Scales, 2006 from 212 per cent to 221 per cent of the basic pay with effect from January 1, 2023.

The government also issued orders to revise DA rates with respect to employees drawing revised UGC Pay Scales, 2016 from 38 per cent to 42 per cent of the basic pay with effect from January 1, 2023.

The state government will pay these DAs in cash with the salaries of April and May while the DA arrears for the period from January 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024 will be paid in three equal instalments in the months of August and November, 2024 and February, 2025.

Further, Rawat said the arrears for OPS employees will be credited to their General Provident Fund (GPF) accounts and for employees who joined after September 1, 2004 it will be in cash.

According to Rawat, balance arrears of employees who would be retiring from service during the period of arrears payment shall be paid along with their retirement benefits.