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Shimla: Himachal govt must pay employees’ pending arrears, says Jai Ram
The former CM said that, moving beyond partial payments, the government should also provide a clear timeline for settling the remaining legitimate dues of employees and pensioners
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Urging the state government to clear the outstanding financial dues of employees and pensioners, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Friday said that the long delay in payments is causing hardship to the employees and their families.
Thakur said this while participating in a cleanliness programme organised by the BJP Shimla Mandal at the old bus stand in Shimla.
He alleged that employee unions have been consistently raising this issue. In August 2026, the Himachal Pradesh Joint Employees’ Federation claimed that approximately ₹5,000 crore in dearness allowance (DA) arrears and about ₹7,000 crore in salary and pension revision arrears were pending—bringing the total liability, according to the organisation, to around ₹12,000 crore.
“However, the state government announced the release of some pension arrears in September. The CM announced that 30% of the pending arrears would be paid in October to Class 3 pensioners who retired between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2022, while Class 1 and Class 2 pensioners would receive 15% of their pending arrears,” the LoP said.
The former CM said that, moving beyond partial payments, the government should also provide a clear timeline for settling the remaining legitimate dues of employees and pensioners.
He said, “Sanitation workers who keep Shimla clean every day are the backbone of the city’s civic system. The government and relevant bodies must ensure the timely settlement of all legitimate outstanding dues owed to these workers, who perform their duties under challenging conditions. The interests of the employees who clean the city’s roads, streets, and public spaces from early morning must not be overlooked.”
