The Punjab Cabinet on Thursday accorded consent to disburse pending arrears of government employees and pensioners worth Rs 14,000 crore. A decision to this effect was taken in the meeting of the Council of Ministers held here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, said an official release. A spokesperson of the Chief Minister's Office said the Cabinet gave the approval to release arrears of revised pay and pensions and leave encashment from the period of January 1, 2016, to June 30, 202,2 and that dearness allowance from July 1, 2021, to March 31, 2024, for pensioners and employees. This sum worth Rs 14,000 crore will be released in stages and will give much-needed relief to the employees and pensioners. There are three lakh government employees and three lakh pensioners who will directly benefit from this move, said the release. To provide houses to the economically weaker section, the Cabinet gave a nod to a policy for 'Optimum utilisation of land reserved for