Punjab Government Pays ₹6,000 crore of Pay Commission Arrears, Reviews High Court DA Order

Punjab’s finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the state inherited a liability of about ₹14,191 crore in dearness allowance (DA) arrears that stem from a 2016 pay‑commission report prepared under the previous SAD‑BJP government. The AAP‑led administration has already cleared more than ₹6,000 crore through a High Court‑approved liquidation plan.

The government is now examining the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s recent judgment on DA disbursements and is considering further legal remedies, including a possible appeal to the Supreme Court. Cheema reaffirmed the state’s commitment to settle all constitutionally and legally valid employee dues while maintaining fiscal stability, noting that Punjab’s pay scales exceed those of the central government in several categories.