Shimla, June 22: The Himachal Pradesh Finance (Pension) Department has issued a fresh office memorandum announcing that the entire balance arrears of revised pension and family pension for pre-2016 pensioners and family pensioners will be released in July 2026. With this payment, the government says 100 per cent of the pension arrears due to employees and family pensioners who retired before January 1, 2016, will stand cleared.
The notification, issued by the Principal Secretary (Finance), states that all remaining arrears arising from the revision of pension and family pension with effect from January 1, 2016, will be paid during July. It further clarifies that earlier interim relief and dearness relief installments already paid will be adjusted against the gross arrears before the final amount is released.
However, the announcement has triggered disappointment and resentment among a large section of pensioners, particularly members of the Himachal Medical Officers Association (HMOA) and other retired employees who retired between January 1, 2016 and January 31, 2022.
Reacting sharply to the notification, pensioners alleged that the Finance Department has once again "misled" retired employees by restricting the benefit only to pre-2016 pensioners while ignoring the long-pending arrears of those who retired after January 1, 2016.
According to HMOA members on pension, a substantial amount of pension revision arrears remains unpaid for retirees who superannuated between January 2016 and January 2022. They pointed out that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had recently announced, following discussions with the Finance Department, that pension arrears of pensioners aged 65 years and above up to 70 years would be released in July 2026.
"Instead of implementing the Chief Minister's assurance in letter and spirit, the Finance Department has issued a notification limited only to pre-2016 pensioners. This self-styled interpretation has caused fresh disappointment and harassment to thousands of pensioners and family pensioners awaiting their legitimate dues," pensioners said.
Retired officers argue that while clearing arrears of pre-2016 pensioners is welcome, the government must also clarify the timeline for payment of arrears due to pensioners who retired between 2016 and 2022. They maintain that the issue affects a large number of senior citizens who have been waiting for years for settlement of their revised pension benefits amid rising healthcare and living costs.
The latest notification has therefore reignited demands for a comprehensive arrears payment schedule covering all categories of pensioners rather than a selective release, with pensioners urging the government to immediately remove the ambiguity and honour its commitments made during recent meetings with employee and pensioner representatives.
