The Congress authorities in Himachal Pradesh has been reeling beneath the worst monetary disaster following the rise in debt liabilities and the shortage of funds to pay salaries to staff. The state’s bills have shot up reportedly as a result of restoration of the outdated pension scheme, freebies, and subsidies given to business institutions.
The Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led authorities within the hill state has no funds to pay salaries for two.15 lakh staff and 90,000 retired staff. The debt liabilities within the hill state have elevated to Rs 76,651 crore in 2023.
On Tuesday, worker leaders stated that this was the primary time within the historical past of the state that the salaries haven’t been paid. The leaders blamed the state authorities for buying luxuries for ministers and political appointees.
The officers, nevertheless, imagine that the hill state is awaiting a Rs 520 crore income deficit grant from the Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP)-led authorities on the Centre. The grant is prone to come by September 6, Friday and that quantity will likely be utilised to disburse salaries.
The state has been closely counting on borrowings by market loans with an estimated debt of Rs 86,589 crore. It has dedicated liabilities of over Rs 10,000 crore pertaining to arrears of staff and pensioners, to the wall.
In a gathering in Shimla, the Himachal Pradesh Staff Federation has declared that if the calls for of the secretariat staff are ignored by the federal government, it should face the results.
Talking on the problem of non-payment of salaries, Federation chief Hira Lal Verma stated there’s a want for the federal government to think about the calls for of the staff. Additionally, he asserted that there ought to be a dialogue between the federal government and staff as they’re combating for his or her rights.
Govt Dealing with Many Challenges Due To Monetary Mismanagement: Sukhu
In a written reply to the Himachal Pradesh Meeting, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, stated that the state has borrowed Rs 21,366 crore up to now three fiscal years. He additionally holds the Finance portfolio.
Throughout his Price range speech, the Himachal Pradesh CM admitted to the grim monetary situation with a significant portion of cash going in the direction of compensation of loans and salaries of the staff. He blamed the earlier Jairam Thakur-led BJP authorities within the state for the monetary mess.
“Our authorities is dealing with many challenges on account of monetary mismanagement and wasteful expenditure sprees practised by the earlier authorities. As a result of unsuitable insurance policies up to now, whole liabilities within the type of loans have risen to Rs 87,788 crore. The full debt liabilities have elevated from Rs 47,906 crore in 2018 to Rs 76,651 crore in 2023,” Sukhu stated.
“The earlier authorities applied the Sixth Pay Fee suggestions for Himachal authorities staff on the finish of its tenure, which might have been applied earlier. As a result of this delay, the arrears on account of the revised salaries of the staff stored rising and their liabilities had been handed over to our authorities. However the current authorities didn’t enable the tempo of improvement to decelerate on account of lack of assets,” he additional said.
Sukhu pinned his hopes on Central indulgence and stated that the state authorities has despatched a proposal of Rs 9,906 crore to the Centre as a reduction for the loss attributable to the pure catastrophe in 2023 based mostly on Submit-Catastrophe Wants Evaluation (PDNA).
BJP Assaults Himachal Govt
The opposition BJP has accused the Chief Minister of coming to energy on the premise of false guarantees. Chief of Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur stated the federal government staff have been awaiting their salaries.
“They examine each message on their telephone considering their wage has come. They’re calling their colleagues and folks from different departments are asking whether or not their wage has come. Thus far, such a state of affairs has by no means arisen within the state that staff needed to wait for his or her wage,” he stated.
The previous Himachal Pradesh CM stated that Sukhu says that there is no such thing as a monetary disaster. He additionally sought clarification from the state authorities over the wage difficulty.
“When there is no such thing as a monetary disaster, then why is the wage not coming? The federal government ought to make clear the state of affairs… when will the wage of the staff and the pension of the pensioners come? Staff shouldn’t have some other technique of revenue, they need to feed their households with their wage solely. In such a state of affairs, how will the household survive with no wage?” he requested.
(With Inputs from IANS)
