Diwali comes 3 days early for Himachal employees & pensioners, get Rs 2,600 crore in their accounts
Himachal Pradesh government employees and pensioners have received their October salaries, allowances and arrears earlier than expected and three days before Diwali. A total payment of Rs 2,600 crore was credited into their accounts across the state on Monday (October 28, 2024) even as the Festival of Lights is to be celebrated on October 31.
The early release comes as a goodwill gesture by the Himachal Congress government. The development brought relief to employees and pensioners alike, including Anganwadi and ASHA workers. The pensioners, in particular, had been receiving their monthly payments on the 10th day for the past two months instead of the 1st day.
What else did employees, pensioners get
Approximately 2.25 lakh government employees and pensioners received their payments four days in advance. The 4% outstanding dearness allowance (DA) has also been included in the payout, with additional benefits for different employee categories.
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Class IV employees have received Rs 20,000 in arrears from the revised pay scale, along with their monthly salary and DA installment. Pensioners above 75 years are to benefit from the full settlement of outstanding arrears. All pensioners received an additional 22.5% DA arrear payment along with their monthly pension.
How the govt made it happen
The timely release was made possible through proactive measures by the state government. Aided by an advance installment from the central government, Himachal received Rs 1,479 crore in its share of central taxes due to the festive season. Additionally, the state secured a Rs 600 crore loan, bringing the treasury balance to Rs 2,079 crore.
This was further supplemented by Himachal’s own tax revenue and non-tax revenue collections amounting to Rs 1,200 crore as well as the revenue deficit grant of Rs 520 crore.
After accounting for pension disbursements and other expenses, approximately Rs 2,700 crore remained in the state treasury, allowing for this large-scale payment. This includes Rs 580 crore allocated to DA installments and Rs 2,000 crore towards salaries and pensions.
