Lately, a strange clamor has been heard among employees and pensioners amid a hushed wait regarding a possible DA merger under the Seventh Pay Commission replacing the Supplementary and Dearness Allowance. The warmth now evoked by merging DA into peasants’ basic salaries has raised but much intrigue. Nevertheless, close scrutiny of the pay commission rule and the official position does not paint the same picture.
Why Does Nobody Stop Talking about the DA Merger?
DA merger is one of those themes that tend to get more pronounced as the Dearness Allowance peaks to higher rates. Historically, the merger was effected as and when the level of DA touched a certain percentage during the pay commissions. It is, therefore, not altogether out of line when employees keep hoping for a similar provision under the Seventh Pay Commission without anything concrete from the authorities.
The Real Facts: As per the Seventh Pay Commission
There is no systematic provision in the 7th payroll recommendations for the automatic merger of DA with pay. The proposal of the Commission is to treat DA as an additional entity to offset inflation. Unlike the old system of merging DA, the recommendations of the commission is to restrict the hike to the DA through an enhanced pay matrix.
The Stand of the Government regarding DA Merger
Till date, the government has not made any official announcement affirming the merger of DA within the framework of the 7th Pay Commission. Apparently, the government seems to have a consistent view that revision of DA is an independent domain and is coupled with inflation data and thus has no nexus with the pay structure. This decision can be accomplished in any future policy action or some recommendation of Pay Commission.
8th Pay Commission
The commission for the interrogation of the 8th pay topic has also touched upon the nature of merging DA with the basic amount and pensions. The occurrence of an 8th Pay Commission is secondary; yet, the augmenting basic pay on account of a DA merger will still remain important. Before that can happen, we have here several alternatives or queries facing issues associated with the current 7th Pay Commission.
7 Pay Commission
It is more likely that DA merger-related discussions occur with respect to the 8th Pay Commission. Historically and according to precedence, structural changes like a merger are always more likely to be addressed during the transition to an incoming pay commission than are midway through the term of an ongoing one.
What Employees Should Do
The existing rumor-mill scenario is sure to generate anxiety for the employees and pensioners, as always. While DA increases are easy to predict and tell when they are going to happen, a DA merger into the Basic can’t be suspected without a formal announcement.
Conclusion
Many of the employees consider the DA merger under the 7th Pay Commission to be more of a speculated topic than fact. As of now, officially, no decision has been announced as regards the DA merger. Even with the discussions, any such claim is subject to the rational evaluation of the employees and the pensioners. They may continue waiting for signed official notifications before commenting on any prior understanding of the matter.