Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, October 15
The Government of Himachal Pradesh has announced a 3 percent hike in dearness allowance (DA) for its employees as a Diwali gesture. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu made the announcement at the 18th annual convention of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Employees Union in Shimla on Wednesday. The Chief Minister said that arrears for the period from April to September will be released before Diwali, and regular DA payments will begin with the October salary in November. However, 16% of DA remains pending, which will now be reduced to 13% after this hike.
The announcement was made at Peterhof, where hundreds of power board employees had gathered with hopes that the government would also announce the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). When no immediate decision was made on OPS, some employees walked out before the CM concluded his address, expressing their disappointment.
Addressing the gathering, Sukhu said that major reforms are needed in the power board to improve employee benefits. On OPS, he urged employees not to lose hope and assured them the government will explore a solution in future meetings. The Chief Minister also announced the withdrawal of charge sheets filed against employee union leaders by the board management. He said promotions under the LM scheme will be granted soon. Additionally, the government plans to introduce a policy to provide compensation to outsourced employees injured on duty.
