Himachal: On Lohri, Sukhu govt to decide on OPS
The one-month-old Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu government on Wednesday set the ball rolling for taking major decisions on the election promises, including the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and one lakh jobs on the festival of Lohri.
Even as days passed by waiting for the portfolios, the Chief Minister announced that the first meeting of the new Cabinet will be held on January 13 to take a decision on restoring OPS.
The employees unions have been lobbying hard for the OPS and been instrumental in the Congress victory in the state.
The newly-inducted Cabinet minister Harshvardhan Chauhan said OPS will be implemented in the state. As per the promise made in the election, a decision on this will be taken in the first Cabinet meeting.
He admitted that the state was passing through a serious fiscal crisis but the Congress will fulfill its commitment by mobilising resources. An exercise has already started in this regard.
Besides OPS, two other issues on which the Cabinet is expected to deliberate include granting Rs 1,500 per month to all women in the age group of 18 to 60 years and providing one lakh jobs to the youths within next one year by filling up all vacant posts in the government departments.
The Congress has given 10 guarantees to the people but the major focus of the government is expected to be OPS and granting Rs 1,500 per month to women. Every household to get 300 units of free power is party’s another key promise.
The state’s debt burden is Rs 75,000 crore that has been drawing major attention as how the Congress government will mobilise the funds towards granting pensions.
Only two Congress governments, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, have taken decisions on the OPS. The Chhattisgarh government has also allowed the employees to use an option to stay in the
New Pension Scheme or opt for the change.
It is understood that a similar formula is expected to be adopted in Himachal Pradesh but the chief minister is keeping cards close to his chest on the modalities about the implementation of the OPS.
Most of the Cabinet ministers inducted by Sukhu have also returned to Shimla and assumed their charge.
When asked about Kangra having been given only one minister despite 10 MLAs elected from there, Harshvardhan Chauhan said, “Chander Kumar is a veteran party leader who has been inducted in the Cabinet from Kangra. There are two Chief Parliamentary Secretaries.
