The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet on Monday gave nod for granting revised pension to beneficiaries from 1 February 2022 and also offered sops for pensioners under New Pension Scheme (NPS) to quell the demand for old pension scheme in election year.

The decision was taken in a meeting held here today under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to grant revised pension/family pension to about 1.73 lakh pensioners/family pensioners of the state from 1st February, 2022, an official said.

“This decision would ensure revision of pension/family pension of 1.30 lakh pensioners/family pensioners from 1stJanuary, 2016.

Besides this, about 43,000 employees, who have retired between 1st January, 2016 and 31st December, 2021 would also get revised pension and gratuity. Now minimum pension/family pension would increase from Rs. 3500 per month to Rs. 9000 per month from 1st January 2016.

It also gave its nod to increase the limit of gratuity from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh from 1st January 2016 which would also be applicable for NPS employees.

The pensioners/family pensioners of the state above 80 years would be provided due additional pension benefits on revised pension/family pension.

The Cabinet also decided to provide Invalid Pension and Family Pension to NPS employees of the government on which Rs 250 crore would be spent,” he added.

He stated that the Cabinet also decided to provide 31 percent dearness relief to the pensioners from 1st July, 2021. An annual additional expenditure of Rs 1,785 crore would be incurred on account of revision of pension. The government had already provided Rs 1450.44 crore to the pensioners as interim relief, he said.

It also gave its nod for ‘Governor’s Address’ to be delivered in HP Vidhan Sabha.

The Cabinet gave its nod to the draft of Memorandum of Understanding for hiring of Single Resource Consultancy for establishment of Project Management Unit for implementation of new centrally sponsored scheme ‘Financing Facility under Agriculture Infrastructure Fund’ between the state government and M/s NABARD Consultancy Services. This scheme would help the farming community in a big way as interest subvention and credit guarantee would be given for the post-harvest infrastructure and for building of community farming assets like e-market platforms, warehouses, silos, pack houses, cold chains etc.

It decided to notify Sardar Patel University Mandi, Himachal Pradesh (Establishment and Regulation) Act, 2022 from 1st April 2022 to set up a new State University at Mandi.

The Cabinet also allowed to allot land in favour of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. for setting up of IG Ethanol Plant at Jeetpur Baheri in Una district at a lease amount of Rs 1 per square metre.