{"id":12228,"date":"2026-09-18T04:20:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T04:20:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/?p=12228"},"modified":"2026-09-18T04:21:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T04:21:10","slug":"punjab-cm-bhagwant-mann-to-meet-protesting-employees-over-da-arrears-and-other-demands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/?p=12228","title":{"rendered":"Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann to Meet Protesting Employees Over DA Arrears and Other Demands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is scheduled to meet representatives of government employees and pensioners on Friday as the state government seeks to reopen dialogue over long-pending demands, including payment of dearness allowance arrears and other service-related issues.

The meeting, scheduled for 11am at the Chief Minister’s residence, comes nearly three weeks after a statewide strike by government employees brought several government services under pressure. Twelve representatives from different employee organisations have been invited, while members of the Cabinet sub-committee dealing with employee issues are also expected to attend.

The dispute centres largely on pending DA and related arrears. Employee organisations have been demanding that the government clear outstanding payments and address other issues affecting employees and pensioners. The unions have claimed that more than seven lakh employees and pensioners are awaiting settlement of arrears and discrepancies.

The financial dimension of the dispute is substantial. Employee organisations have put the overall pending DA burden at around \u20b920,191 crore, while the amount covered by the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s earlier directions has been reported at about \u20b914,191 crore. The state government has challenged the High Court order in the Supreme Court, arguing that such a large payment cannot be released without following the constitutional procedure governing withdrawals from the state’s Consolidated Fund.

The issue escalated on August 27 when more than three lakh state government employees participated in a statewide strike. The agitation affected offices and public services across Punjab and was backed by a large number of pensioners.

The government has maintained that its financial position limits its ability to settle all outstanding liabilities at once. Employee organisations, however, have argued that the state’s improved tax collections provide sufficient room to clear the dues. According to figures cited by employee unions, Punjab’s tax revenue increased from about \u20b937,300 crore in 2021-22 to nearly \u20b957,900 crore in 2024-25. The government has countered that higher revenue must be viewed alongside salaries, pensions, debt servicing and other financial obligations.

The latest meeting could therefore become an important attempt to move the dispute back towards negotiations.

The employees’ side is expected to press for settlement of DA arrears and other pending service matters, while the government will have to balance those demands against its broader fiscal commitments.

The meeting also comes at a politically sensitive time for Punjab, with several employee organisations already having demonstrated their willingness to intensify protests if negotiations fail.

For the Mann government, finding a settlement would mean addressing a long-running issue involving a large section of the state’s workforce. For the employee organisations, the meeting is an opportunity to seek a concrete timeline rather than another round of assurances.


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Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is scheduled to meet representatives of government employees and pensioners on Friday as the state government seeks to reopen dialogue over long-pending demands, including payment of dearness allowance arrears and other service-related issues. The meeting, scheduled for 11am at the Chief Minister’s residence, comes nearly three weeks after […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11888,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24,22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-12228","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics","8":"category-punjab-2"},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t