Last Update: January 13, 2023, 20:59 IST
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu. (file photo)
Himachal has become the third Congress ruled state to restore OPS. This will result in an additional annual burden of Rs 900 crore. Cabinet gives in-principle approval to provide monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 to women in the age group of 18-60 years and create 1 lakh job opportunities in a year
The newly elected Himachal government on Friday fulfilled its first poll promise with Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu announcing the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) in the state. The announcement will put an additional annual burden of Rs 900 crore on the state exchequer.
This decision is expected to benefit 1.36 lakh employees.
The government approved the long-standing demand of the employees in the first cabinet meeting held in Shimla on Friday. Himachal has become the third Congress-ruled state after Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh to restore OPS.
Announcing the restoration of OPS, Sukhu said, “We will provide the old pension scheme till the last breath of your life.” “We had promised to implement OPS in the first cabinet and we have done it,” he said.
The cabinet also gave in-principle approval to two of his other key poll promises, including a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 to women in the age group of 18-60 years and creating one lakh jobs in a year. The government constituted two cabinet sub-committees to work out the modalities of implementation of these promises. The committees will submit their reports to the cabinet within a month.
The ideology of Congress is an example of love, brotherhood and reality. Today, on the auspicious occasion of Lohri, I am very happy to restore the OPS seeking appointment of Himachal employees. I have full faith that the employees will give their full cooperation in the development of Himachal shoulder to shoulder with the government. pic.twitter.com/eIt2btE4wE– Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu (@SukhuSukhvinder) January 13, 2023
Sukhu, speaking to the media, instigated the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government by claiming to have left the government with employee liabilities of Rs 11,000 crore, apart from a debt of Rs 75,000 crore. “The previous government has left a financial burden of around Rs 11,000 crore on the exchequer,” Sukhu said. “Nevertheless, we went ahead with the decision as OPS is not just about monetary benefits but also about the secure, retired life and self-respect of the employees,” Sukhu said.
The CM said that the OPS would result in an annual burden of Rs 800-900 crore. “The burden will increase gradually, but it will be met through fiscal discipline and reduction in expenses. The recent hike in VAT has also been done to generate resources for OPS.”
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