Will clear all arrears of employees pensioners after 2025-26 Himachal CM

Shimla, Dec 1 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh government will clear Rs 8,555 crore worth of arrears in revised salaries and allowances of employees and pensioners after 2025-26, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu told the state Assembly on Monday.
    Making a suo motu statement in the House, the chief minister said the previous BJP government has left a liability of over Rs 10,000 crore on account of arrears in revised salaries and pensions from January 2016 to December 2021, and Rs 2,155 crore out of this has already been released.
    Sukhu said his government has cleared all the arrears of employees and pensioners above the age of 75 years. About 70 per cent of arrears of those in the age group of 70-75 years have been paid. The rest 30 per cent, amounting to Rs 90 crore, will be paid this financial year, he said.
    The chief minister said 38 per cent of arrears of employees and pensioners in the age group of 65-70 years and 35 per cent of those aged below 65 years have been cleared. The government has also paid 20 per cent of arrears in gratuity, he said.
    Sukhu said the state government has taken a number of measures to strengthen the economy, and the arrears of the remaining employees will be cleared in a phased manner from 2025-26, after the devolution of grants by the 16th Finance Commission in the next five years.
    He urged the employees and pensioners to cooperate with the government.
    Asserting that the government was a benefactor of employees, Sukhu said 1.17 lakh employees benefitted from restoration of Old Pension scheme (OPS). The daily-wagers have been granted one year qualifying service, rather than five years, to avail pension benefits, he said.
    On November 28, government employees and pensioners had warned the Congress-led state government of intensifying their agitation if their demands regarding the clearance of pending Dearness Allowance, salaries, pensions and medical bills, reinstatement of Himcare benefits, and OPS commitments are not addressed immediately.
    A large number of state employees and pensioners staged a protest at the Dharamshala Police Ground, voicing sharp criticism of the Sukhu government's policies.
    National Senior Vice-President of the Indian State Pensioners Federation, Ghanshyam Sharma, had said that despite the state's rising debt burden, installments of Dearness Allowance, arrears, and payments under health-related schemes were being cut or delayed, creating serious difficulties for retired employees seeking medical treatment.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)