The Indian government has frozen the Dearness Allowances for Central government employees.

Dearness Allowance (DA) for Central government employees has been frozen till July 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.

Dearness Allowance (DA) for Central government employees has been frozen till July 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.In view of the crisis due to COVID-19, the Indian government has decided to freeze payment of additional installment of dearness allowance (DA) to the Central government employees and dearness relief (DR) to pensioners. In an office memorandum, the department of expenditure, Ministry of Finance said that additional installment of DA and DR falling due from July 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021, will also not be paid. The memorandum also mentioned that the central government employees will also not get any arrears in any future revision of DA/DR from July 1, 2021. However, if a decision to revise DA rates is taken for July 1, 2021 period, the rate of allowance as effective from January 1, 2020, to July 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021, will be restored prospectively and will be subsumed in the cumulative revised rates effective from July 1, 2021.

The memorandum signed by the additional secretary to the Government of India was officially published on April 23, 2020.