Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday presided over a meeting of the Finance Department and reviewed the financial situation of the State. According to reports from Mint, Sukhu called government employees the state's backbone and assured that funds will be made available to clear arrears. The meeting included Principal Secretary Finance Devesh Kumar, Secretary to the Chief Minister Ashish Singhmar, Special Secretary Finance Saurabh Jassal and other senior officers of the finance department.
As reported by Mint, Sukhu directed the finance department to withdraw its notice on the deferment of salaries, with the exception of the Chief Minister. The CM stated that arrears of the deferred salary will be released along with the full salary next month. The finance department has been directed to review pending arrears and dearness allowance for state employees and pensioners, with the government remaining committed to safeguarding their welfare and interests.
According to the report, Sukhu announced that pensioners would receive payments between the 7-10th of each month, with the state approving a monthly grant of ₹23 crore to facilitate this. The CM directed the HRTC management to expedite commencement of pension benefits for employees who retired after October 2025 and announced the release of ₹20 crore to HRTC towards medical reimbursement claims. HRTC receives around ₹1,500 crore annually (comprising ₹800 crore from its own revenue and ₹720 crore as grant-in-aid from the state), but continues to incur losses primarily due to its extensive fleet of nearly 3,000 buses.
As reported by Mint, Sukhu reiterated that the state has restored Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for employees to ensure their social and financial security. The CM noted that the Centre withheld financial assistance of ₹1,200 crore due to the state following the restoration of OPS, which would have enabled the state to clear employees' pending arrears. However, the state government remains sympathetically considering the demands of employees, emphasizing that pension is the rightful entitlement of retired employees.
According to the report, a delegation of the Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) Pensioners Joint Action Committee (JAC) called on Sukhu on Sunday, 7 June, where the importance of timely disbursement of pension was emphasised. The meeting included Managing Director HRTC Dr Nipun Jindal and JAC representatives, including Secretary Rajender Thakur, Devaraj Thakur, Brij Lal Thakur and others. The CM directed that appropriate action be taken regarding pension payments for retired employees, with the state government undertaking reforms in HRTC to ensure no delays in salary and pension payments.
