n a significant move to resolve the long-standing deadlock over Dearness Allowance (DA), the West Bengal government has initiated a major administrative process. Following directives from Nabanna, the State Higher Education Department on Monday requested detailed records of all teaching and non-teaching staff, including retirees, from state-aided universities.

The Finance Department aims to finalize the calculations for the period between January 2016 and December 2019. Registrars of universities have been instructed to submit comprehensive data on salaries, allowances, and pensions in MS-Excel format. The directive emphasizes that Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) must verify these statistics against official Service Books to ensure zero errors in the database.

This administrative push is seen as a crucial step amidst ongoing protests and legal battles by government employees demanding DA at central rates. Experts believe that by selecting the 2016-2019 window, the government intends to determine the exact quantum of arrears. Once this database is compiled and reviewed by the Finance Department, a final decision regarding the disbursement of pending DA is expected, offering a glimmer of hope to thousands of state employees.