Kochi: The Kerala Administrative Tribunal (KAT) has issued an order instructing the state government to inform when it would release the pending Dearness Allowance (DA) for the mployees. The government has been asked to come up with a decision in this regard prior to December 11. KAT noted that the regulations and financial crisis in the state will not prove a hindrance in clearing the dues. 

The interim order was issued by a bench led by chairman justice CK Abdul Rahim. Members of Kerala NGO association, including president Chavara Jayakumar, had submitted a petition stating that six instalments of DA were pending since January 2021. 

The tribunal has warned the state government that it would be forced to declare a deadline by itself, in case the government fails to announce the date of releasing the funds. The petition will be considered yet again on December 11.

The petitioners said they had repeatedly approached the government seeking money. However, they were told that no funds could be released until the state overcomes the ongoing financial crisis.

The petitioners have approached the tribunal citing the existing SC order that pensions and dearness allowances shall not be denied owing to the financial constraints of the government. 

Advocate Anoop V Nair had appeared on behalf of the petitioners. It should be noted that the state government will have to allocate a fund of more than Rs 24,000 crores for clearing the DA dues.

While the employees are originally entitled to receive twenty five percent of DA, they are only receiving the funds on a scale of seven percent from July 2020. Meanwhile, DA for central government employees was increased from 42 percent to 46 percent in October 2023.