No Plans to Merge 50% DA with Basic Pay Before 8th Pay Commission, Says Finance Ministry

The Finance Ministry has clarified that there is no proposal to merge 50% dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) with the basic pay or pension of central government employees and pensioners before the 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC) submits its report.

Recently, the staff side of the National Council of Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM) urged the government to include DA merger in the terms of reference for the upcoming pay commission. However, responding to a query in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary, stated that no such proposal is under consideration. The query was raised by Rajya Sabha member Javed Ali Khan, who questioned whether the government intended to merge 50% DA/DR as interim relief due to unprecedented inflation over the past 32 years.

The government has not yet formally constituted the 8th Pay Commission, but it is expected to be set up by April 2025.

In response to another question in the Lok Sabha on March 17, 2025, the Finance Ministry confirmed that the terms of reference and the timeline for the commission’s report would be decided in due course.

Currently, DA/DR is provided to central government employees and pensioners to compensate for inflation and maintain the real value of their pay and pension. The rate is revised every six months based on the All India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (AICPI-IW), released by the Labour Bureau under the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Since the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission’s recommendations on January 1, 2016, the government has granted 15 installments of DA/DR to employees and pensioners, Chaudhary noted.

Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Expenditure
Rajya Sabha
Un-Starred Question No. 2009
To be answered on Tuesday, the 18th March, 2025 .
Phalguna 27, 1946 (Saka)

Merger of DA/DR with basic pay/pension

2009 Shri Javed Ali Khan:
Will the Minister of Finance be pleased to state:

a) whether Government proposes to merge 50 per cent DA/DR with basic pay/pension of central Government employees/pensioners as interim relief before report of the 8th Central Pay Commission is prepared and adopted in view of the unprecedented inflation during the last 32 years as per the data given by the Minister to this August House and reduced DA/DR calculation during recent years;

b) if so, the details thereof; and

c) if not, the reasons therefor?

Answer 

Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance
(Shri Pankaj Chaudhary)

a) No.
b) Does not arise.

c) The Dearness Allowance (DA)/ Dearness Relief (DR) is paid to Central Government employees/pensioners to adjust the cost of living and to protect their Basic Pay/Pension from erosion in the real value on account of inflation. The rate of DA/DR is revised periodically every 6 months on the basis of All India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (AICPI-IW) released by Labour Bureau under Ministry of Labour and Employment. Since the implementation of the recommendations of the Seventh Central Pay Commission from 01.01.2016, 15 instalments of DA/DR have been granted to the Central Government employees/pensioners so far.

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भारत सरकार
वित्त मंत्रालय
व्यय विभाग
राज्य सभा
लिखित प्रश्न संख्या – 2009
मंगलवार; 18 मार्च, 2025/27 फ़ाल्गुन; 1946 (शक)

डीए/डीआर का मूल वेतन/पेंशन में विलय

2009. श्री जावेद अली खान: ह

क्या कित्त मंत्री यह बताने की कृपा करँँगे किः

(क) क्या सरकार मंत्री जी द्वारा इस महती सभा में प्रस्तुत किए गए आंकड़ों के अनुसार पिछले 32 वर्षों के दौरान अभूतपूर्व मुद्रास्फीति और हाल ही के वर्षों के दौरान की गई डीए/डीआर की कम गणना को देखते हुए 8वे केंद्रीय वेतन आयोग की रिपोर्ट तैयार होने और अपनाए जाने से पहले अंतरिम राहत के रुप में केंद्रीय. सरकारी कर्मचारियों/पैंशनभोगियों के मूल वेतन/पेंशन में 50 प्रतिशत डीए/डीआर को विल्रय करने का विचार रखती है;

(ख) यदि हां, तो तत्संबंधी ब्यौरा क्‍या है; और

(ग) यदि, नहीं, तो इसके क्या कारण हैं?

उत्तर

वित्त राज्य मंत्री (श्री पंकज चाँधरी) .

(क): जी, नहीं।

(ख): प्रश्न नहीं उठता।

(ग): महंगाई भत्ता (डीए)/महंगाई राहत (डीआर) केंद्र सरकार के कर्मचारियों/पेंशनभोगियों को जीवन-यापन की लागत को समायोजित करने और मुद्रास्फीति के कारण उनके मूल वेतन/पेंशन को वास्तविक मूल्य में होने वाले क्षरण से बचाने के लिए दिया जाता है। श्रम एवं रोजगार मंत्रालय के अंतर्गत श्रम ब्यूरो द्वारा जारी औदयोगिक श्रमिकों के लिए अखिल भारतीय उपभोक्ता मूल्य सूचकांक (एआईसीपीआई-आईडब्ल्य) के आधार पर डीए/डीआर की दर हर 6 महीने में समय-समय पर संशोधित की जाती है। दिनांक 01.01.2016 से सातवें केन्द्रीय वेतन आयोग की सिफ़ारिशों के लागू होने से अब तक, केन्द्रीय सरकार के कर्मचारियों/पेंशनभोगियों को अभी तक महंगाई भत्ते (डीए)/महंगाई राहत (डीआर) की 15 किस्तें प्रदान की गयी हैं।

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