Delegations from Himachal Pradesh Employees and Teachers Associations Meet Chief Minister.
Shimla:
In a significant engagement, delegations from various Non-Gazetted Employees and Teachers Associations in Himachal Pradesh met Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today to discuss their demands and issues.
The Chief Minister welcomed the delegations and assured them of the state government’s commitment to address their genuine concerns. He emphasized that all state government officers and officials are considered part of his extended family, and their needs would be reviewed sympathetically.
A key point of discussion was the release of Dearness Allowance (DA) and arrears for state employees. The Chief Minister promised to review the state’s financial situation within the next month. He indicated that a follow-up meeting with employee associations would be scheduled at the end of September 2024 to further address these issues. The government aims to release DA and other benefits as the financial condition improves. Additionally, directives have been issued to profit-making boards and corporations to ensure that dearness allowance and arrears are disbursed to their employees.
Chief Minister Sukhu noted that the previous BJP administration had frozen DA installments. In contrast, the current government has restored a 7 percent DA for employees and is paying all arrears to pensioners aged 75 and above. He highlighted that the present administration is dedicated to the welfare of government employees despite inheriting significant financial challenges, including Rs. 9200 crore of National Pension System (NPS) funds stuck with the Central Government and a Rs. 10000 crore disaster relief fund that has been approved but not yet disbursed. The state government also faces a legacy of Rs. 10000 crore in employee liabilities from the previous administration.
The Chief Minister criticized the restrictions imposed by the Union Government on the state, particularly concerning the reinstatement of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for government employees. He pointed out that the state’s loan limit has been capped at Rs. 6600 crore, and the revenue deficit grant for the next financial year will be Rs. 3500 crore, a significant reduction from the Rs. 7000 crore allocated during the previous BJP government’s tenure.
Furthermore, the Chief Minister assured that pay anomalies would be corrected and vacant posts would be filled to ensure the smooth functioning of state departments.
In response, the representatives of the Employees Associations expressed their deep gratitude to Chief Minister Sukhu for restoring the Old Pension Scheme, acknowledging the significant effort and struggle that led to this development. They also requested a Joint Consultative Committee meeting to be convened soon.
The meeting was attended by Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sanjay Awasthy, Principal Media Advisor to the Chief Minister Naresh Chauhan, and several association leaders, including Pradeep Thakur, President of the Himachal Pradesh Non-Gazetted Employees Association, Trilok Thakur, President of the Himachal Pradesh Non-Gazetted Employees Services Association, and Lokender Thakur, President of the Teachers’ Association.
