Karnataka Government Orders Not to Pay Additional DA Instalments

The Karnataka government on Tuesday decided not to pay the additional instalments of dearness allowances with effect from January 1, 2020 to government employees and pensioners in view of the crisis arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Taking a cue from the Centre's orders freezing the dearness allowance and dearness relief to central government employees and pensioners respectively at the existing rates sanctioned with effect from July 1, 2019, the Karnataka government today ordered not to pay the additional DA instalments.

"The additional instalments of Dearness Allowance with effect from January 1, 2020 payable to State Government employees and pensioners including employees and pensioners on UGC/ICAR/AICTE/NJPC scales of pay shall not be paid," the government order issued by the Finance Department read.

The additional instalments of Dearness Allowance due from July 1, 2020 and January 1, 2021 shall also not to be released until further orders, the government order said.

However, Dearness Allowance will continued to be paid at the existing rates, the government maintained.

The state government noted that as and when the decision to release the future instalment of Dearness Allowance due from July 15, 2021 is taken by the Government of India, the applicable rates of Dearness Allowance effective from January 1, 2020, July 1, 2020 and January 1, 2021 will be restored prospectively and will be subsumed in the cumulative revised rate effective from July 1, 2021.

It also clarified that the employees and pensioners are not entitled to the arrears of dearness allowance for the period from January 1,2020 till June 30,2021.

These orders will apply to the full time government employees, employees of zilla panchayats as well as full time employees of aided educational institutions and universities who are on regular time scales of pay.

These orders will also apply to the employees covered under the Karnataka Daily Wage Employees Welfare Act, 2012 and also employees of Boards, Corporations, Local Bodies; employees of the government and autonomous industries under the control of state government whose dearness allowance order is being regulated with reference to the orders issued by the state government from time to time, the order said.