Himachal CM Sukhu announces Rs 281 crore in arrears, new schemes

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday announced salary arrears, pension benefits, and welfare schemes at the state-level Independence Day function in Barsar, Hamirpur. The government will spend Rs 281 crore on additional payments. Class IV employees will receive Rs 20,000 in salary arrears this month. Class III pensioners and family pensioners who retired between 2016 and 2021 will get 35 per cent of arrears, while Class I and II pensioners will receive 15 per cent.

Doctors due to retire from this month until March 31, 2027, will continue in service and retire on that date, India Today reports. Monthly incentive for 9,000 ASHA workers will rise from Rs 5,800 to Rs 6,800, effective April 1, 2026. Outsourced staff nurses, pharmacists, and lab technicians under the National Health Mission will get Rs 25,000 a month; data entry operators will receive Rs 18,000. The New Indian Express adds that 100 new CBSE schools will open from the next academic session, and 4,000 posts in the Jal Shakti Vibhag will be filled.

Sukhu also announced the Indira Gandhi Matri Shishu Sankalp Yojana, a nutrition scheme for mothers and children. Its pilot phase begins October 2 in 21 ICDS blocks. The Apna Parivar Sukhi Parivar scheme, for economically vulnerable families not in the BPL list, launches on the same date. The CM said the state’s economy is recovering despite loss of central revenue deficit grant, and reiterated a goal to make Himachal one of India’s richest states by 2032.