According to the order, the state government has been directed to pay DA arrears within a year or before giving effect to the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission. (Pic: http://wbat.gov.in/)The West Bengal State Administrative Tribunal on Friday directed the state government to pay its employees dearness allowances on a par with the central government staff, upholding the contention that DA was a fundamental right of employees. The order also stated that the DA of Bengal government employees should be revised at least twice a year till they begin receiving salaries according to the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission. A lawyer who has read the tribunal order said contesting its legal validity would be difficult as it had referred to similar cases. However, we suspect that the Mamata Banerjee government would challenge the tribunal order in a division bench of Calcutta High Court,” said Debashis Seal, convenor of the BJP-backed Sarkari Karmachari Parishad.

Source: The Telegraph July 26, 2019 19:43 UTC