Shimla, March 22, 2026: Slamming the state budget as “a betrayal wrapped in silence,” former chief advisor of the Himachal Pradesh Non-Gazetted Employees Federation and co-convener of the Pensioners’ Struggle Committee, Shimla, Chaman Chauhan launched a sharp attack on the government, accusing it of ignoring thousands of elderly pensioners.
Chauhan, speaking with visible anguish, said the budget has “completely sidelined those who spent their entire lives serving the state and are now in their 60s, 70s, and even 80s, waiting for their rightful dues.”
“This is not just neglect — it is a direct injustice. Pensioners are not asking for charity; we are demanding our own hard-earned money,” Chauhan said.
He pointed out that the budget makes no mention of arrears for employees who retired between January 1, 2016 and January 31, 2022 — a period covering thousands of pensioners whose crores of rupees remain unpaid.
Chauhan also flagged the repeated “empty promises” made to Class IV employees. “Last year, the government announced arrears for them. This year, it repeats the same promise. This is nothing but a cruel joke on employees who have already retired and are struggling in old age,” he said.
Further, he criticized the complete silence on the pending 13% Dearness Allowance dues for both employees and pensioners, calling it “another glaring omission that exposes the government’s anti-pensioner stance.”
Calling the budget “anti-pensioner,” Chauhan warned that continued disregard for pensioners’ rights would not be tolerated.
“These are people in the twilight of their lives, battling health issues, rising costs, and financial insecurity. Ignoring them is not just administrative failure — it is moral failure,” he said.
With anger brewing among the pensioner community across Himachal Pradesh, Chauhan signaled that the fight is far from over. “We will not sit quietly while our rights are denied. This is our money, and we will take this battle to its logical end,” he asserted.
