A delegation of the Himachal Pradesh Pensioners Joint Front, headed by its President Atma Ram, met Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today and presented a charter of demands seeking redressal of various pension-related issues. The delegation discussed key concerns of pensioners and urged the government to take timely action on their long-pending matters.
Chief Minister Sukhu gave a patient hearing to the delegation and assured that their demands would be examined with a positive and considerate approach. He stated that despite financial limitations and the discontinuation of RDG over the past three and a half years, the state government has remained committed to safeguarding the interests of employees and pensioners.
He reiterated that the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) was restored for 1.36 lakh government employees in the very first Cabinet meeting of the present government. However, he pointed out that financial support of ₹1,600 crore from the Union Government for implementing OPS has been stopped.
Highlighting welfare measures, the Chief Minister said that pensioners above 70 years of age have been paid full arrears following revision of pay scales. He further informed that all pending gratuity and leave encashment dues of Class-IV employees who retired between 1 January 2016 and 31 January 2022 have also been fully cleared.
The Chief Minister assured that the government remains sensitive to the concerns of pensioners and will continue to address their issues in a phased and pragmatic manner.
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