CHANDIGARH, March 9 – The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has directed that employees on deputation with the Chandigarh Administration will now receive dearness allowance (DA) and other benefits equivalent to those of UT employees.
This decision, in line with rules set by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, is expected to increase their DA by 15%.
Currently, UT employees receive 53% DA, while deputationists from Punjab and Haryana have been receiving only 38%. Despite being eligible, these employees had not received the revised DA for nearly three years.
The MHA’s order ensures that existing Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) guidelines will now fully apply to them, granting them the higher DA.
The disparity in allowances had been a key reason for officials from Punjab and Haryana hesitating to take up deputation in Chandigarh. The UT Administration has repeatedly raised concerns over delays in receiving deputation panels from these states.
The latest directive is expected to streamline deputation processes, attract more employees, and fill vacancies.
Pending Dues and Employee Demands
Employees on deputation had protested against the Chandigarh Administration for withholding the revised DA.
Ranbir Jhorar, president of the Punjab Haryana Employees Welfare Association (Deputationist), Chandigarh, said, “Employees from Punjab and Haryana have been denied the 53% DA since April 1, 2022. Now that the MHA has issued fresh orders, we have written to the UT Administrator demanding the release of pending DA with interest.”
With the directive in place, deputationists will also be entitled to the children’s education allowance and travel allowance. Jhorar pointed out that, as per an MHA letter from July 27, 1982, Punjab and Haryana employees on deputation in Chandigarh are exempt from the tenure clause since they do not receive a deputation allowance.
The UT Administration had earlier proposed a seven-year tenure limit for such employees.
According to the ministry’s order, the Union Territory of Chandigarh Employees (Conditions of Service) Rules-2022 have been applicable to UT employees since April 1, 2022.
A subsequent notification by the DoPT on September 8, 2022, ensured that deputationists and UT employees would now have uniform service terms and conditions.
