WB DA Arrears: The West Bengal government has initiated a new measure to expedite the calculation and disbursement of WB DA Arrears for employees and pensioners of Grant-in-aid institutions. A crucial physical meeting has been convened on April 1, 2026, to evaluate the progress of the arrears calculation. This step is expected to accelerate the process for thousands of employees across the education, panchayat, rural development, and transport departments.
Background and Finance Department Memo
Earlier, on March 13, 2026, the State Finance Department issued Memorandum No. 998-F(P2) specifically for the employees of Grant-in-aid institutions, excluding direct state government employees. The current notification mistakenly mentions this date as March 12. Unlike direct state government employees, the Finance Department does not have direct access to the detailed salary records of Grant-in-aid staff. Therefore, the respective administrative departments were instructed to swiftly compile and send the DA arrears calculations for their employees.
Agenda of the April 1 Special Meeting
To directly monitor the progress of these calculations, a special physical meeting is scheduled for 4:00 PM on April 1, 2026.
The following officials have been directed to attend the meeting:
- The Officer-in-Charge of the Accounts Section of the respective department, who is primarily responsible for the calculations.
- The Financial Advisor of the department.
- Any other official deemed suitable by the concerned administrative department.
The primary agenda of the meeting includes reviewing the exact amount of DA or DR actually paid to the employees in the past, assessing the current progress of the arrears calculation, and discussing any associated administrative hurdles.
The Role of the Education Department and OSMS
The salaries of teaching and non-teaching staff under the Education Department are processed entirely through the OSMS portal. However, no updates or technical changes regarding the DA arrears calculation have been observed on the OSMS portal yet. Unless the calculations are completed and submitted through OSMS, the subsequent stages of DA disbursement cannot be initiated. This meeting aims to resolve such bottlenecks and accelerate the backend work.
Impact on WB DA Arrears for Grant-in-Aid Employees
Thousands of employees and pensioners associated with Grant-in-aid institutions have been waiting for their legitimate dues. This proactive step by the state government brings a sense of relief to the workforce. Once the calculations are finalized, the Finance Department can quickly approve the payment modalities, paving the way for the actual credit of funds to the employees’ accounts.
Latest Update
Following a Supreme Court directive on February 5, 2026, which mandated the clearance of 25% of DA arrears by March 31, 2026, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on March 15 that the payment of ROPA 2009 DA arrears would commence from March 2026. While serving state government employees are governed by Memo 996-F(P2), Memo 998-F(P2) requires Grant-in-aid departments to first compile the detailed data for the period between January 2016 and December 2019.
The final payment modalities for Grant-in-aid staff will be notified by the respective departments after obtaining concurrence from the Finance Department. This crucial meeting is expected to clear the path for the final release of WB DA Arrears, bringing relief to thousands.
Verified by the WBPAY.in editorial team, comprising West Bengal government employees with over 10 years of hands-on WBIFMS and state finance administration experience.
