Himachal Government Guarantees Timely Monthly Pension for HRTC Retirees

Shimla:n a major financial relief for thousands of retired transit workers, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced that all Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) pensioners will now receive their monthly dues systematically between the 7th and 10th of every month. The state government has committed a recurring monthly grant of ₹23 crore to ensure the corporation maintains structural liquidity for these fixed disbursement dates.

The breakthrough announcement came during a high-level meeting at the state capital on Sunday with a delegation from the HRTC Pensioners Joint Action Committee. Pensioners expressed immense gratitude to the administration, highlighting that they frequently faced agonizing two-to-three-month delays under previous political regimes, which subjected senior citizens to severe socioeconomic hardships.

In addition to regulating monthly cycles, Chief Minister Sukhu addressed lingering backlogs by sanctioning an immediate release of ₹20 crore strictly designated for clearing pending medical reimbursement claims. He further instructed the top tier of HRTC management to expedite bureaucratic clearances so that personnel who retired after October 2025 could start receiving their rightful pension packages without further institutional delay.

"Pension is not a charity; it is a hard-earned rightful entitlement of our retired workforce who spent decades building this state's connectivity," the Chief Minister noted. He acknowledged that while the corporation continues to experience financial strain—largely driven by heavy operational expenditures tied to running an expansive fleet of nearly 3,000 buses across rugged alpine terrains—the state is pushing systemic reforms to safeguard worker interests. Key administrative officials, including HRTC Managing Director Dr. Nipun Jindal and members of the Joint Action Committee, were present to finalize the implementation blueprint.