Mohali, September 24:- In a joint statement, Punjab Raj Pensioner Mahasangh State President Dr. N.K. Kalsi, General Secretary Joginder Singh and Press Secretary Gurbaksh Singh said that the Punjab Government’s attempt to delink Dearness Allowance from the Central Government pattern would not be allowed to succeed. They demanded that the Punjab Government make necessary amendments to its letter issued on 23-9-2026 and pay the pending instalments of DA/DR to employees and pensioners at 46 per cent from 1-7-2023 and 50 per cent from 1-1-2024, from their respective due dates.
They said that Dearness Allowance is provided keeping in view the rising cost of living and that Punjab had decided to provide it on the pattern of the Central Government. The Central Government pays DA to its employees and pensioners every six months from January 1 and July 1. They alleged that due to the delinking of DA from the Central Government in Punjab, six instalments from 1-7-2023 to 1-1-2026, amounting to a total of 18 per cent DA, are pending, while currently only 42 per cent DA is being paid. They said that IAS and IPS officers working in Punjab are being paid 60 per cent DA as per the Central Government pattern.
They said that during a meeting of employees’ and pensioners’ organisations with the Chief Minister on 18-9-2026, an announcement had been made to provide 8 per cent DA, but the letter dated 23-9-2026 ordered that this 8 per cent DA would be paid from 1-9-2026. The letter did not clarify the payment of 4 per cent DA from 1-7-2023 and another 4 per cent from 1-1-2024.
Dr. Kalsi said that pensioners had filed cases in the High Court regarding their right to receive DA as per the Central Government pattern. He said that on 3-8-2026, the Chief Justice of the High Court had ordered that the DA due as per the Central Government pattern be paid within 15 days, but the Punjab Government had not implemented the order so far.
They said that from 1-1-2016, at the time of pension revision, instead of merging 125 per cent DA, 113 per cent DA was merged and a 2.4495 factor was applied. The pensioners alleged that this resulted in injustice to them. They said that if the same formula was applied at the time of pension revision from 1-1-2026, only 50 per cent DA would be merged instead of 60 per cent, which would be more disadvantageous for pensioners.
