Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday directed the Finance department to withdraw the notification on deferment of salaries, and said arrears will be cleared next month.
The order, which exempted the chief minister, came in a meeting of the department that Sukhu presided over.
At the meeting, the chief minister said the financial condition of the state has improved significantly due to the government’s pragmatic policies.
“The state’s economy has shown encouraging results and Himachal Pradesh is steadily moving towards self-reliance,” Sukhu said, according to a statement.
He said the government has successfully plugged several loopholes that had led to financial leakages and corruption in the past.
Sukhu directed the Finance department to release the arrears of all pensioners in the next month.
Reviewing the pending arrears and Dearness Allowance (DA), the chief minister said the government employees are the backbone of the state and the government is committed to safeguarding their welfare and interests.
Sukhu said his government restored the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) to ensure social and financial security of employees.
“Following the restoration of OPS, the Union government withheld financial assistance amounting to Rs 1,200 crore due to the state. Had this amount not been withheld, the state government would have been in a position to clear the pending arrears of employees. Nevertheless, the state government is sympathetically considering the demands of employees,” he said.
