Employees of Himachal Pradesh government will now have their pay scales revised in accordance with the Sixth Pay Commission, with effect from January, 2016. Additionally, employees working on contract will now be regularised in two years, instead of the earlier three years.
For daily wagers, water guards and part-time works and such, the regularisation or daily-wage conversions will happen a year earlier now.
Now, the dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) will also be given on the basis of revised pay scales and pensions.
Pensioners and families of pensioners will also receive revised benefits/pensions with effect from January, 2016. Pending medical reimbursements will also be cleared.
This revision of pay scales and pension will cost the state treasury Rs 6,000 crore a year, while the medical reimbursements will cost about Rs 10 crore.
The New Pension System (NPS) will also come into effect from May 15, 2003, which will cost the treasury over Rs 250 crore. All NPS employees will now have the liberty to opt to invest in any pension fund basis higher returns. Earlier, employees were forced to invest only in the pensions funds prescribed by the government. They will also receive death-cum-retirement gratuity benefits. Those NPS employees who missed out on this benefit from May 15, 2003 to September 22, 2017 will also receive gratuity.
