Chandigarh: Despite the Punjab govt’s announcement of an 11% increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) over the last two months, employee unions expressed dissatisfaction, saying the state govt has not clarified the payment of arrears against the revised instalments.They also questioned the govt’s decision to describe the hike as a Diwali gift, maintaining that employees are merely being given their long-pending dues.Soon after chief minister Bhagwant Mann announced a 3% DA hike, the finance department issued a formal notification on Wednesday.Sahil Sharma, general secretary of the Punjab Civil Secretariat Employees Union, said the state govt had not clarified in the notification the payment of arrears against either the latest 3% DA hike or the 8% increase (4% plus 4%) announced in September.He said the latest 3% instalment was due from July 1, 2024, and that even after the two revisions, employees were still awaiting 10% DA. “Whenever the DA is enhanced, the notification explicitly mentions the arrears. But the AAP govt has avoided mentioning it during these two revisions,” Sharma said.“Employees are apprehensive that the Punjab govt wants to delink DA from the central govt’s pattern. Giving employees what is rightfully due cannot be termed a Diwali gift. If govt intended it as a Diwali gift, it should have announced a bonus,” he added.
