Dharamshala: Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday reaffirmed that the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) will continue in Himachal Pradesh despite the financial restrictions imposed by the central government after its restoration. He informed the Assembly that 5,356 employees who retired in the last three years are already receiving OPS benefits, and every employee retiring in the future will also receive a pension under the old system as per the Congress government’s policy.
Speaking during Question Hour, the Chief Minister said the Cabinet had decided in its very first meeting to restore OPS for nearly 1.36 lakh government employees. However, soon after the decision, the Centre stopped the additional ₹1,600 crore loan that the state had been eligible for. Sukhu admitted that with increasing retirements, the financial pressure on the state would rise, but assured that the government was undertaking reforms to strengthen resource mobilisation.
Rejecting allegations of political motives behind the move, Sukhu said, “If this were for political gains, we would have implemented OPS six months before the elections. We restored it purely on humanitarian grounds to provide social security to government employees.”
He explained that the money contributed by employees and officers who shifted from the National Pension System (NPS) to OPS—lying in the form of EPF—remains in their pension fund. The state has repeatedly written to the Union Finance Ministry seeking the return of nearly ₹10,000 crore, the NPS share currently invested in the stock market. “As soon as these funds are received, the pending arrears of employees will be cleared,” he said.
Providing yearly data, Sukhu informed that 7,053 employees came under OPS in 2022–23, 7,217 in 2023–24, and 6,698 in 2024–25.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Jairam Thakur criticised the government, terming the absence of detailed information “an insult to the House.” He added, “I am surprised that the Chief Minister says this was not for political gain. This was the Congress party’s first election guarantee.”
