Freezing of DA to employees and DR to Pensioners, Govt. will enforce further economy measures to off-set any increase: Finance Commission

 Freezing of DA to employees and DR to Pensioners, Govt. will enforce further economy measures to off-set any increase: Finance Commission

FINANCE COMMISSION IN COVID TIMES
REPORT FOR 2021-26

Chapter 4
Pandemic Times: Analysis for the Future 2021-26

Pensions and Salaries

4.40 The Government of India has, as of now, frozen the dearness allowance to its employees and dearness relief to its pensioners due from January 2020 to July 2021, clarifying that this will be restored only prospectively. Based on this decision, we do not expect any growth in the salary requirements for 2020-21 over 2019-20. In view of the strain on revenues, for 2021-22 also we expect that the Union Government will enforce suitable economy measures in its committed expenditures to off-set any increase on account of dearness and other allowances. Accordingly, we have factored in a growth rate of 1 per cent in salaries and 1.5 per cent in pensions in these two years (2020-21 and 2021-22). Thereafter, we have employed an annual growth of 5 per cent in salaries and 5.5 per cent in pensions, keeping in mind the need for annual increment of employees, dearness allowance/relief of employees and pensioners and the normatively assessed change due to attrition in the workforce. We also expect that the expenditure on government workforce will be prudently rationalised, with emphasis on functional efficiency, to stay within the means. Our projections are presented at Annex 4.1.