· Delegation of HPSMA calls on Chief Minister
A delegation of the Himachal Pradesh Science Masters Association (HPSMA), led by Hamirpur district President Vikas Kaushal called on Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu here today and apprised him of their demands. The delegation urged the Chief Minister to promote TGT teachers to the posts of Headmaster and Lecturer. The Chief Minister assured the delegation that their demands would be considered sympathetically.
Sh. Sukhu said that the state government was committed to the welfare of the government employees. He stated that the government had restored the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for government employees in its very first Cabinet meeting, despite pressure from the Union Government to implement the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS). He asserted that the state would continue with the OPS under all circumstances.
The Chief Minister further said that the Union Government has stopped financial assistance of Rs. 1,600 crore for implementing the OPS. In addition, he said that the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG), which the State had been receiving since 1952, had been discontinued, resulting in a loss of Rs. 8,000-10,000 crore per annum for the State. He termed this a denial of the rights of the people of Himachal Pradesh.
He added that the previous BJP government had received Rs. 54,000 crore under the Revenue Deficit Grant and Rs. 16,000 crore as GST compensation, whereas the present state government has received only Rs. 17,000 crore as RDG. Despite these financial constraints, the state government was ensuring that the pace of development remains unaffected, he said.
