The Himachal Pradesh government is set to improve pension benefits for its Class-IV employees, particularly those regularized after May 15, 2003. Under a new policy, these employees will now receive one year of regular service credit for every five years of service rendered on a daily wage basis, specifically for the calculation of their pensions.
This decision was announced by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu during a high-level meeting in Shimla. He stated that this revised provision will allow employees to count one year of regular service for every five years of daily wage service, with a maximum benefit of up to two years.
“This move will particularly benefit those Class-IV employees who were previously deprived of pension benefits at the time of their retirement due to having less than ten years of regular service,” CM Sukhu remarked.
The new rule stipulates that employees with at least ten years of daily wage service will gain an additional two years towards their qualifying service, as per the Central Civil Services (CCS) Pension Rules, 1972.
“With this relaxation, one year of regular service will be counted for every five years of daily wage service. A maximum of two years of qualifying service, for those with 10 years or more of daily wage service, will be considered for the grant of pension under the CCS Pension Rules 1972,” Sukhu elaborated.
This policy update is anticipated to provide long-awaited recognition to employees who dedicated years of service before formal regularization.
In addition to these pension enhancements, the Chief Minister also announced that the state government would offer these employees another opportunity to opt for the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). This reinforces the government’s commitment to ensuring the social and financial security of its workforce, a commitment exemplified by the reinstatement of the OPS shortly after assuming office.
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