States » NorthPosted at: Sep 21 2026 7:29PM


Himachal CM announces pension arrears payment for retirees of 2016–2022 period

Shimla, September (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday announced that Class-III pensioners would receive 30 per cent of their pension arrears, while Class-I and Class-II pensioners would be paid 15 per cent of their arrears in October this year.
The benefit would be applicable to employees who retired between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2022, he said, while addressing a meeting with the Himachal Pradesh Pensioners’ Joint Front here.p
The Chief Minister said the state government was aware of the issues faced by pensioners and employees and was making earnest efforts to resolve them.
He said financial benefits had been released to employees and pensioners from time to time, while the government was also considering releasing another instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) in the coming period.
Sukhu directed all departments to clear pending medical reimbursement claims of pensioners and said that arrears ofp all pensioners above 65 years of age had already been cleared.
Recognising the contribution of pensioners to the development of Himachal Pradesh, the Chief Minister said the state government had restored the Old Pensionp Scheme for its employees without any political motive, with the objective of ensuring a dignified life after retirement.
He said that when the Congress government assumed office, the previous BJP government had left a debt burden of Rs 76,000 crore, besides liabilities of around Rs 10,000 crore towards employees and pensioners.
Sukhu said Himachal Pradesh had been receiving Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) since 1952, but the 16th Finance Commission had discontinued the 77-year-old entitlement.
He described RDG as not merely an entitlement of the state government but a right of the people of Himachal Pradesh.
The Chief Minister said the state was losing Rs 8,000 crore to Rs 10,000 crore annually following the discontinuation of the grant. Drawing an analogy, he said the situation was comparable to deducting Rs 40,000 from an annual income of Rs one lakh.
He claimed that the previous BJP government had received Rs 54,000 crore as RDG and Rs 16,000 crore as GST compensation during its five-year tenure.
Had the previous government maintained financial discipline, the state's debt could have been reduced by around Rs 30,000 crore and liabilities towards employees could also have been cleared, he said.
Sukhu further alleged that the previous government had constructed buildings worth around Rs 1,000 crore across the state, many of which remained vacant. In comparison, the present Congress government had received Rs 17,000 crore as RDG during its last three years and was pursuing financial discipline.
He said every decision taken by the state government was aimed at making Himachal Pradesh self-reliant and strengthening its financial position.
President of the Himachal Pradesh Pensioners’ Joint Front Atma Ram Sharma said the present state government had taken several steps in the interest of pensioners and expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister.
UNI BN
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