Delegations of various non-gazetted employees, teachers associations call on Himachal CM

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India] August 24 (ANI): The delegations of various Himachal Pradesh Non-Gazetted Employees and Teachers Associations called on Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday and informed him of the various demands of their associations.
The Chief Minister said that all the officers and officials of the state government are his family members and the government will consider all their genuine demands sympathetically.
Regarding the demand for the release of Dearness Allowance (DA) and arrears of the employees, Sukhu assured them to review the financial position of the state within one month, with a follow up meeting with employee associations at the end of September 2024.
He said that the state government intends to release DA and other benefits, and with the improvement in the financial position of the state, all the benefits would be released, according to a statement.
He said that directions have been issued to all the profit-making boards and corporations to release dearness allowance and arrears to ensure financial benefits to their employees. He also exhorted the state government employees to work in tandem with the state government to safeguard the interests of the people of the state.
He said that the present state government will spend public money for the welfare of the people and therefore, the state government is making earnest efforts to enhance the revenue resources for the state.
The Chief Minister said that the previous BJP government "froze" the DA installments for the employees, while the present state government has released 7 per cent DA to the employees. Besides, the entire arrears are being paid to pensioners over the age of 75.
He said that the Congress government is committed to ensuring the welfare of government employees.
He said that Rs 9200 crore of NPS are stuck with the Central Government, whereas Rs 10,000 crore of disaster relief has been approved by the Central Government but is yet to be released. He said that the state government has also inherited a legacy of Rs 10,000 crore of employee liabilities from the previous government.
The Chief Minister said that the Union Government has imposed various restrictions on the State Government in response to the reinstatement of the Old Pension Scheme for government employees. He said that the loan limit has been fixed at Rs 6600 crore and a revenue deficit grant of Rs 3500 crore will be received for the next financial year, which is Rs 7000 crore less than what the previous BJP government received during its regime.
The Chief Minister also assured that pay anomalies of the employees would be rectified and vacant posts would be filled up for smooth functioning of the departments.
The representatives of the Employees Associations extended heartfelt gratitude to the Chief Minister for restoring the Old Pension Scheme. They said that after a long struggle, the employees of the state have been granted OPS thanks to Chief Minister Sukhu. Employees associations also demanded to convene a Joint Consultative Committee meeting soon.
Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sanjay Awasthy, Principal Media Advisor to Chief Minister Naresh Chauhan and President of Himachal Pradesh Non-Gazetted Employees Association Pradeep Thakur, President of Himachal Pradesh Non Gazetted Employees Services Association Trilok Thakur, President Teachers' Association Lokender Thakur and office bearers of these associations were also present on the occasion. (ANI)