18 Months Da Arear : Will the government give 18 months DA arrears? This question is in the mind of many government employees of the country. Actually, the central government had stopped three installments of Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) for its employees and pensioners during the Covid-19 epidemic.
The government had cited the serious economic crisis and pressure of government finances as the reason for this at that time. Since then, government employees are waiting for 18 months DA arrears. Now on this issue, MP Anand Bhadoria asked a question in the Lok Sabha on 11 August 2025, in response to which the government gave official information.
What is DA and DR?
Dearness Allowance (DA) is given to government employees to reduce the impact of inflation. Similarly, Dearness Relief (DR) is given to pensioners to reduce the impact of inflation on their income.
Why were DA and DR installments stopped for 18 months?
The government said that the three installments due from January 2020, July 2020 and January 2021 were stopped in view of the economic shock and financial pressure of Kovid-19. Revenue fell during the pandemic and the government had to spend on many additional welfare schemes, so it was decided to stop this amount.
Will there still be financial pressure?
The MP asked whether the government is still under financial pressure and is the country on the verge of bankruptcy? In response, the government said that this is not the case. The fiscal deficit of the Center was 9.2% in the financial year 2020-21, which has come down to 4.4% in the budget estimate 2025-26. That is, the financial status has improved, although the impact of Covid remained for a long time.
Will I get the outstanding DA and DR amount?
The government clearly stated that the economic impact of COVID-19 and the fiscal pressure to fund the schemes launched at that time continued even after 2020-21. Therefore, it is not possible to release the DA/DR arrears amount for 18 months.
Due to government financial pressure during Covid-19, DA and DR installments of 18 months were stopped. According to the government, the financial situation is better now, but it is not possible to pay the arrears of that time in the budget. Employees and pensioners are getting the future installments regularly, but the old amount that was stopped will not be returned.
