The Himachal Pradesh Sanyukt Karamchari Mahasangh has urged the state government to announce the release of pending pay revision and Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears on Independence Day, saying the move would provide relief to employees who have been waiting for their dues for a long time.
Mahasangh president Virender Chauhan and general secretary HL Verma said the pay revision, effective from January 1, 2016, was implemented by the state government in 2022. However, a major portion of the arrears was still pending. “So far, only 20 per cent of the arrears has been released,” the office-bearers claimed.
They said state employees were currently receiving 45 per cent DA, against 60 per cent due to them. Although three instalments of DA payable after January 1, 2022, had been released, the arrears for the period were yet to be paid.
The Mahasangh leaders said employees who had retired during this period were also being deprived of their due financial benefits. They added that the real value of the long-pending dues was declining amid rising inflation.
“With inflation at around 6 per cent annually, arrears received in the future would have significantly lower purchasing power,” they said.
The federation said employees and their families were facing financial pressure amid rising prices and that it was not justified to withhold their statutory and earned financial benefits for such a long period.
They urged the government to release the remaining pay revision arrears, pending DA to bring it in line with 60 per cent, and arrears of DA instalments due after January 1, 2022, at the earliest.
“If our dues are released on Independence Day, it would send a positive and reassuring message to thousands of serving and retired employees and further strengthen their confidence in the government,” the leaders said.
