Shimla, Apr 15 (PTI) Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday announced the withdrawal of three per cent salary deferment for Class I and Class II officers on the occasion of Himachal Day.
CM Sukhu, who unfurled the National Flag and took the salute at the march past on the occasion of 79th Himachal Day during a function held at Reckong Peo in the Kinnaur district, said that the pending gratuity and leave encashment of Class IV employees who retired between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2021, involving an expenditure of Rs 50 crore, will be cleared by May.
Temporary deferment of 30 per cent and 20 per cent in the salaries of the chief minister, ministers, MLAs, chief secretary, DGP and senior officers will continue, he said in a statement issued here.
With Himachal facing a financial crunch and the discontinuation of the revenue deficit grant further worsening the situation, the CM had temporarily deferred a portion of salaries of ministers, MLAs and officials while presenting the budget for financial year 2026-27 on March 21.
Addressing the gathering, the chief minister greeted the people of the state and announced that all eligible women (18-59 age) in the Kinnaur district will receive a ‘Samman Nidhi’ of Rs 1,500 under the ‘Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi Yojana’.
The chief minister also announced that all eligible non-gazetted officers of the state police will be granted an honorary higher rank on the day of their retirement. He said, “Our government is committed to ensuring respect for police personnel who serve with honesty and dedication. I hope this initiative will infuse new energy into the police force.” He also announced connecting all government institutions, schools and households in Reckong Peo with a central heating system powered by geothermal energy.
Additionally, he announced Rs 8 crore for connecting Taranda village through a traffic tunnel and the upgradation of Choltu High School to a Senior Secondary School with the implementation of the CBSE curriculum.
He announced that the Polytechnic College of Kinnaur district, currently operating in Rohru, will soon be shifted and made functional at Urni and said the construction of the Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding School in Reckong Peo will be completed within six months.
Sukhu said that the state government is initiating work on the 66 KV Pooh-Kaza transmission line project, spanning 125 km with 495 towers, at a cost of Rs 415 crore. The project will benefit approximately 17,500 residents of Kinnaur as well as the Spiti valley.
He further said that due to the efforts of the state government, border trade with China via Shipki-La is set to resume from June 1 this year, which is a significant achievement for the state government.
He said that the efforts of the state government to promote border tourism are yielding positive results, with a significant number of tourists visiting areas along the China border, leading to an increase in the income of local residents.
Earlier, the chief minister laid the foundation stone for a sewerage scheme at Sunnam to be constructed at a cost of Rs 8.72 crore and a flood protection scheme in Gram Panchayat Kafnoo at a cost of Rs 2.51 crore. He also inaugurated the Solding-Chaura road built at a cost of Rs 4.88 crore. PTI BPL — MNK MNK
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