Sukhu defends OPS, cites social security as objective

The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday denied the BJP’s charge that the Congress had restored the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for political gains.

Responding to a question raised by Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur in the Vidhan Sabha, Sukhu said this decision was taken in the very first Cabinet meeting with the sole objective of ensuring social security for government employees.

The CM informed the House that the OPS was restored for 1.36 lakh government employees, but the move triggered a financial setback as the Centre withdrew the state’s additional borrowing limit of Rs 1,600 crore.

Of those covered under the OPS, 5,356 employees have already retired and were drawing pension under the old scheme, he said. Sukhu pointed out that the pension liability would rise significantly as more employees superannuate in the coming years.

Between December 30, 2022, and October 31, 2025, a total of 26,324 government employees retired in Himachal Pradesh. This includes 9,498 retirees in 2022–23, 9,821 in 2023–24, and 7,005 employees retiring till October 31, 2025, he added.

During the same period, the state government created 8,436 new posts, the CM informed, underlining that while job creation continues, the financial pressure from the restored pension scheme will keep increasing.