Overview
- The state government says it has staged payments by category, including full arrears for pensioners over 67, all Class IV dues, about 55–57% of Class III arrears, ₹20,000 to some Class IV retirees, and roughly 15% for Class I and II officers.
- Officials report roughly 1.90 lakh pensioners and family pensioners receive monthly pensions on the first of each month while remaining arrears are paid as finances permit.
- Pensioners held large demonstrations near the Vidhan Sabha demanding full payment of 16% Dearness Allowance, revised post-2016 pay‑revision arrears, leave encashment, and other unpaid benefits.
- Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu attributes the slow clearance to reduced Revenue Deficit Grant receipts and to a claimed non‑receipt of the Centre’s announced ₹1,500 crore disaster relief, figures he says cut the state’s capacity to pay.
- Opposition leader Jai Ram Thakur has questioned the government’s account and argued central disaster relief should not be diverted to pay salaries and pensions, leaving the dispute between fiscal constraints and accountability unresolved.