Punjab DA Arrears Row: Ministers Defend Govt, Say Employees Earn More Than Haryana, Gujarat
Chandigarh, September 3, 2026: Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, along with Cabinet Ministers Aman Arora and Dr Baljit Kaur, on Thursday defended the state government’s position on pending Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears.
Cheema said Punjab spends a significantly higher share of its revenue on salaries and pensions compared with the national average. He claimed that Punjab employees receive salaries around 28 per cent higher than employees in Gujarat and 13 per cent higher than those in Haryana.
According to Cheema, around 51 per cent of Punjab’s total revenue is spent on salaries and pensions, compared with the national average of nearly 38 per cent.
Cheema Says ₹14,100 Crore Arrears Linked to Previous Governments
Cheema claimed that around ₹14,100 crore in DA arrears relate to the previous Akali-BJP and Congress governments. He said the present Aam Aadmi Party government has been clearing the outstanding amount in phases.
He further said more than ₹4,500 crore has already been paid according to the schedule submitted before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Aman Arora Accuses Opposition of Misleading Employees
AAP Punjab president and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora accused the Congress, BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal of misleading employees over the DA arrears issue.
Arora said the Congress had made promises related to DA before the 2022 Assembly elections but failed to fulfil them. He claimed the AAP government had instead focused on making actual payments rather than making announcements that could not be implemented.
He urged government employees to hold talks with the state government instead of resorting to strikes, saying the government remains open to discussions on the issue.
