Dearness Allowance: The Himachal Pradesh government is reviewing DA and pending arrears for state employees and pensioners, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has assured, according to a PTI report.
Speaking after a high-level meeting of the Finance Department on Sunday, where they reviewed the fiscal situation in , Sukhu called government employees the state’s backbone and said funds will be made available to clear arrears.
The meeting included Principal Secretary Finance Devesh Kumar, Secretary to the Chief Minister Ashish Singhmar, Special Secretary Finance Saurabh Jassal and other senior officers of the department, as per the report.
DA, arrears, pension in Himachal: Here’s all we know
- According to , the Finance Department is directed to withdraw its notice regarding the deferment of salaries, except for the chief minister. “Arrears of the deferred salary will be released along with the full salary next month,” he stated.
- Further, the CM also directed the department to release the pending pension arrears of all aged between 65-70 years to be disbursed next month. “The state government would make available all funds required for this purpose,” he assured.
- After reviewing the pending arrears and DA, Sukhu called government employees the backbone of the state, and said the government remained committed to safeguarding their welfare and interests.
- Further, Sukhu reiterated that the state has restored the (OPS) for employees in order to ensure their social and financial security, the report added.
- “Following the restoration of OPS, the Centre withheld financial assistance of ₹1,200 crore due to the state. Had this amount not been withheld, Himachal Pradesh would have been in a position to clear employees’ pending . Nevertheless, the state government is sympathetically considering the demands of employees,” Sukhu said.
HRTC pensioners’ JAC call on Sukhu: What was discussed?
The report added that a delegation of the Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) Pensioners Joint Action Committee (JAC) called on Sukhu on Sunday, 7 June, during which the importance of timely disbursement of was emphasised.
- The CM told the group that pensioners would receive payments between the 7th-10th of each month, and to facilitate this, the state has approved a monthly grant of ₹23 crore.
- Sukhu also directed the HRTC management to expedite the commencement of pension benefits for who retired after October 2025 and have not yet started receiving their payouts. He said that a pension is the rightful entitlement of retired employees and directed that appropriate action be taken in this regard.
- The CM announced the release of ₹20 crore to HRTC towards medical reimbursement claims to facilitate the settlement of pending liabilities.
- He added that the state government is undertaking reforms in HRTC to ensure that there are no delays in the payment of and pensions.
- HRTC receives around ₹1,500 crore annually ( ₹800 crore from its own revenue and ₹720 crore in grant-in-aid from the state) but continues to incur losses. Sukhu attributed this primarily to the corporation’s extensive fleet of nearly 3,000 buses, which significantly increases operational expenditure and contributes to the financial burden on the organisation.
Also present at the were Kumar, Singhmar, Managing Director HRTC Dr Nipun Jindal, and JAC representatives, including Secretary Rajender Thakur, Devaraj Thakur, Brij Lal Thakur and others, the report added.
(With inputs from ANI)
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