New Delhi: In what could be good news for Himachal Pradesh government employees, the state’s chief minister Jai Ram Thakur has announced that employees working prior to January 3 and who were deprived of a higher pay scale would get salaries on a par with others.
Such employees will receive the benefit on the completion of two years of regular service, Thakur said on Sunday (April 3). The move has been announced ahead of the state assembly polls.
The Chief Minister said that most of the government employees have been given revised pay scales and on average, every employee has received the benefit of a 12 to 15 per cent hike in their salaries.
Meanwhile, the state government has also increased the pension of about 1.50 lakh pensioners in the state. The state government has provided benefits worth Rs 7,801 crore to government employees and pensioners in years between 2018 and 2022.
Himachal Pradesh state employees who retired before 2016 are now receiving the benefit of a 15 to 20% hike in pension. On the other hand, about 40,000 employees who retired after 2016 would be benefited soon.
“Out of the total interim relief amount given to the employees and pensioners amounting to Rs 6,500 crore, Rs 3,500 crore has been paid during the tenure of his government,” Thakur said.
Moreover, Thakur has also announced a higher pay scale for the Junior Office Assistants (Information Technology). These employees will also receive increased salaries on completion of two years of regular service.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Karamchari Maha Sammelan of the Himachal Pradesh Non-Gazetted Employees Federation, the Chief Minister thanked the federation for honouring him.
Thakur said the federation and government employees have been playing an important part in the execution of the policies and schemes of the government at the grassroots in the state. He added that the state government has always given priority to ensure the welfare of its employees and has maintained cordial relations with them.
