Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhu, ministers to forgo salary for two months

Shimla, August 29

In view of the grave financial crisis being faced by Himachal, CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today announced that he, along with all ministers, chief parliamentary secretaries and chairmen and vice-chairmen of boards and corporations, will not take any salary and allowances for two months.

Speaking in the Assembly, Sukhu said this had been done considering the fund crunch being faced by the state. “I urge all members of the Assembly to voluntarily follow suit,” he said.

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He said though the amount saved through this move would not be big (around Rs 2 crore), it was a symbolic gesture and others should follow suit. The CM said efforts were being made to enhance revenue and reduce unproductive expenditure, but it would take some time for the results to be visible.

Expressing concern over the state’s dismal financial position, Sukhu said the revenue deficit grant (RDG) for 2023-24 was Rs 8,058 crore, which had been cut by Rs 1,800 crore to Rs 6,258 crore during the current financial year. “In 2025-26, the RDG will be further cut by nearly Rs 3,000 crore to a mere Rs 3,257 crore, which will make it even tougher for us to meet our needs,” he said.

Sukhu said despite repeated pleas, the Centre had not returned the Rs 9,200 crore lying with it as part of the new pension scheme (NPS) deduction. “We have also stopped getting GST relief from the Centre, which has reduced our revenue by almost Rs 2,500-3,000 crore annually,” he said.

The CM said following the restoration of old pension scheme, the loan borrowing limit too had been reduced by Rs 2,000 crore, compounding the state’s problem.

Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said rather than “deferring” the salaries and allowances of the CM, ministers, chief parliamentary secretaries and chairmen and vice-chairmen of boards and corporations, political appointees such as OSDs and chairmen should have quit.