Will consider Old Pension Scheme for power board staff: CM

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said that the government would consider providing the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) to the employees of Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Ltd after discussions with their union leaders.

Sukhu, while speaking at the general conference of the HPSEBL Employees Union, said that he had asked the Chief Secretary to ascertain how the government could give pension under the old scheme to the employees of the electricity board. “We will discuss the issue in detail and see how we can move forward on it,” he added. The board employees, who were hoping that Sukhu would announce the Old Pension Scheme for them, were disappointed.

He said that the government was providing huge grants to the electricity board to ensure financial benefits keep flowing for its employees. “From 2023 to September 2025, the pensioners have received Rs 662.81 crore as gratuity, medical reimbursement, leave encashment and pension arrears with an additional Rs 70 crore to be paid by this year end. Medical reimbursement has been centralised and is now disbursed on a weekly basis and there are no pending dues,” he added.

Sukhu said that power production at the Uhl project at present costs Rs 27 per unit and senior officials were responsible for it. He directed the board to introduce a compensation policy for outsourced employees in case of accidents and ordered the immediate clearance of promotion backlog.