HP govt releases 2 pc interim relief to employees, pensioners

With the sixth Punjab Pay Commission report applicable to Himachal Pradesh employees still awaited, the state government has decided to grant two per cent interim relief to its employees and pensioners.
The interim relief would be paid from August 1, 2017 and over 3.5 lakh employees and pensioners would be benefited to the tune of about Rs 350 crore annually, additional Chief Secretary (Finance) Srikant Baldi said.
As Assembly elections are due in the next few months, the government is keen to give sops to employees but since the pay scales of state employees are linked with Punjab and the Punjab pay panel has not submitted its report, the government has released the interim relief which would be absorbed in the revised pay scales.