Good news for 1.73 lakh pensioners of THIS state, government hikes monthly pension to Rs 9000

The Himachal Pradesh government on Monday has decided to grant revised pension and family pension to about 1.73 lakh pensioners in the state from February 1, an official spokesperson said.

The decision was taken in a state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur here, he added.

About 43,000 employees who have retired between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2021, will also get revised pension and gratuity, the spokesperson said.

The minimum pension and family pension will increase from Rs 3,500 per month to Rs 9,000 per month from January 1, 2016, he said.

The state cabinet also approved increasing the limit of gratuity from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh from January 1, 2016 which would be applicable for NPS employees, he added.

Pensioners and family pensioners above 80 years of age will be provided due additional pension benefits on revised pension and family pension, the spokesperson said.

The cabinet also decided to provide 31 per cent dearness relief to pensioners from July 1, 2021.

An additional annual expenditure of Rs 1,785 crore will be incurred on account of revision of pension. The state government had already provided Rs 1,450.44 crore to pensioners as interim relief, he added.

The cabinet also gave its consent to purchase and operationalise 50 additional ambulances under 108 National Ambulance Services for providing free transportation service to patients requiring immediate care.