Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur announced that the state government employees working in different departments prior to 3 January, 2022 and were deprived of higher pay scale would be given higher scale at par with other employees on completion of two year’s tenure of regular service. He also announced higher pay scale to the Junior Office Assistants (IT) on completion of two years regular service.
The Chief Minister made these announcements during the Karamchari Maha Sammelan of the Himachal Pradesh Non-Gazetted Employees Federation organised to honour Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur at the hotel Peterhof here on Sunday. The Chief Minister was honoured by the Federation, district units and various other employee's associations during the ceremony.
Jai Ram Thakur thanked the Federation for honouring him adding that the employees have always given full support and contribution to the state government. He said they have been playing an important role in the execution of the policies and schemes of the government up to the ground level. He appreciated the role played by the employee’s especially frontline workers in the battle against the pandemic.
Jai Ram Thakur said the present state government has always given priority for ensuring the welfare of its employees and has maintained cordial relations with them. The government has ensured that different categories of employees get their due benefits and better facilities. He said that despite Covid-19 crisis lasting for almost two years, the state government ensured that its employees did not face any inconvenience and they were given full salary, pension and other benefits.
He said most of the government employees in the state have been given revised pay scales and on an average, every employee has got the benefit of 12 to 15 percent salary hike. There has also been an increase in the pension of about 1.50 lakh pensioners of the state. The financial benefits of Rs. 7801 crore have been given to state government employees and pensioners from the year 2018 to 2022. The pensioners who retired before 2016 are getting the benefit of 15 to 20 percent increase in the pension while around 40 thousand pensioners who retired after 2016 would be benefitted soon.
He said the daily wages was Rs. 210 in the year 2017 which has been increased by the present state government to Rs. 350. Similarly, 12 per cent interim relief annually has been provided to government employees and pensioners during the present government’s tenure. He said Himachal government has provided Dearness Allowance to its employees and pensioners on the lines of Punjab and Central governments from the due date. The Punjab government has given only 5 percent interim relief to the employees while the Himachal government has provided 21 percent interim relief to its employees.
“Out of the total interim relief amount given to the employees and pensioners amounting to about Rs. 6500 crore, Rs. 3500 crore has been paid during the tenure of our government” added the Chief Minister.
He said that the state government has increased the government contribution for NPS employees from 10 percent to 14 percent benefitting more than one lakh employees. The NPS employees are being given the benefits of retirement and death gratuity at par with employees falling under the old pension scheme. The government has also increased the upper limit of death gratuity from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 20 lakh.
The Chief Minister said the state government has also increased the honorarium of para-workers working in various departments. From the current financial year, the honorarium of Anganwadi workers, ASHA workers SMC teachers, Mini Anganwadi workers, Anganwadi Helpers, tailoring teachers, mid-day meal workers, water carriers of education department, water guards, multipurpose workers of Jal Shakti department, pump operators, Panchayat Chowkidars, Revenue Chowkidars and Revenue Lambardars has been increased considerably. The salary of outsource workers has been hiked by Rs 1,500 per month.
Jai Ram Thakur assured the employees that the state government would continue to consider their legitimate demands sympathetically and their issues would be resolved on priority basis.
Non-Gazetted Employees Federation President Ashwani Thakur thanked the Chief Minister for providing various financial and other benefits to different categories of the government employees. He said that it was for the first time that 21 demands of the employees were accepted by the state government during the JCC meeting held last year.
Vice President of the Federation Sonia, General Secretary Rajesh Sharma, Presidents of the district units of the Federation and other employee leaders were present on the occasion.
