Kolkata, March 15 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Sunday that her government will clear the DA arrears of its employees and pensioners, including teachers, non-teaching staff, and workers of grant-in-aid institutions, starting from March this year.
The announcement came shortly after the government increased the honorarium for priests and muezzins, ahead of the scheduled announcement of state assembly elections.
"They will start receiving their ROPA 2009 DA arrears from March 2026 onwards, as per the modalities detailed in the notifications issued by our finance department," Banerjee said in a post on X.
The arrears relate to the Revision of Pay and Allowances (ROPA) 2009, a long-standing demand of government employees and pensioners, covering the salaries and allowances of teachers, municipal and panchayat staff, and other grant-in-aid institutions.
A section of state government employees had moved the Supreme Court on this contentious issue, demanding the clearance of DA dues. The top court ordered the release of 25 per cent of DA arrears to its employees by March 31, 2026.