Bengal exploring ways to arrange funds for 25 pc DA arrears as directed by SC

Kolkata, May 17 The West Bengal finance department has started exploring avenues to arrange funds for paying 25 per cent of the pending dearness allowance (DA) arrears to state government employees, in compliance with a Supreme Court directive.

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the West Bengal government to clear 25 per cent of the pending dearness allowances dues within next four weeks.

Sources within the finance department said that following the apex court’s order, the state has little choice but to make the payment within four weeks. With limited options for fresh funding, the department is considering internal reallocation -- primarily by cutting down on budgetary allocations under select heads.

"The most feasible route appears to be curtailing funds earmarked for some welfare and dole schemes and diverting that amount to the DA payment corpus," a senior official from the department said on condition of anonymity.

Legal experts said that the state has minimal legal leeway. The only possible route is to approach a different division bench of the Supreme Court to challenge the order.

However, there is no certainty that such a plea would be entertained, given the order comes from a bench of equal authority.

The financial burden for paying 25 per cent of the DA arrears within four weeks is estimated to be around Rs 12,000 crore, or slightly less.

However, finance department officials are skeptical about whether a proposal to slash allocations for welfare schemes will receive the green light from the state's political leadership, especially with the crucial assembly elections scheduled next year.

As of now, no official statement has been issued by the state government, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee or Minister of State for Finance (Independent Charge) Chandrima Bhattacharya.

Bhattacharya, when approached, said that only the Chief Minister would respond to the Supreme Court directive.

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