Shimla:- The Himachal Pradesh government on Sunday imposed a temporary suspension of up to 30 percent of the salaries of senior government officials, which will be effective from the April salary. These salaries have been postponed for six months to overcome the ongoing financial hardship in the state.
According to the notification, 30 percent of the salaries of the Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary, Director General of Police and top officials of the Forest Department will now be paid with delay.
Similarly, secretaries, heads of departments, Inspector General of Police and forest officers up to the level of Divisional Forest Officer will get 20 percent salary with delay.
Finance Secretary Ashish Singhmar, while issuing the order, said that the amount of salary to be paid late will be added to all benefits like pension and money received in lieu of leave. He also said that to maintain transparency, full details of this will be given in the pay slips of the officers so that there is no confusion. Statutory deductions like income tax and NPS contribution will continue to be made on the total salary as before so that there is no problem in the accounting in future.
For officers repaying loans, it has been fixed that the salary deduction will be made only on the amount remaining after deducting the loan installment. Such employees will have to submit a written affidavit in this regard to their drawing and disbursing officers. Boards, public sector undertakings, universities and autonomous bodies running under the state government have also been asked to implement the same rule.