NEW DELHI: The government on Saturday hit back at former PM Manmohan Singh ’s criticism of a freeze in an increase in dearness allowance and dearness relief for central government employees and pensioners, saying the measures were needed in “exceptional times” to support MSMEs and other vulnerable segments.“It should be noted that such measures are not unprecedented. In the aftermath of the 1962 & 1971 wars, much stronger measures had been instituted. The Compulsory Deposit Act 1963 applied to all taxpayers, property owners and all government employees,” principal economic adviser in the finance ministry Sanjeev Sanyal tweeted.Further, officials said, the DA freeze is temporary. Further, officials said, the government was not freezing the increase dearness allowance in perpetuity. It was a temporary move, necessitated by the circumstances.