In view of the grave financial crisis being faced by the Himachal Pradesh Government, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday announced that he along with all ministers, chief parliamentary secretaries and chairmen and vice-chairmen of boards and corporations would not take any salary and allowances for a period of two months.
Making a statement in the Vidhan Sabha, Sukhu said: “I urge all the members of the Assembly to voluntarily take a similar decision”. Efforts are being made to increase revenue and reduce unproductive expenditure, though it will take some time for the results to become visible, he added.
Expressing concern over the dismal financial position of the state, Sukhu said the revenue deficit grant (RDG) for the year 2023-24 was Rs 8,058 crore, which has been reduced by Rs 1,800 crore to Rs 6,258 crore during the current financial year.
“In 2025-26, the revenue deficit grant will be reduced by another Rs 3,000 crore to a mere Rs 3,257 crore, which will make it even tougher for us to meet our needs,” he stated.
“After discussing in the cabinet, all the members of the cabinet decided that until the state sees good improvement in the coming times, we will not take any salary, nor TA, nor DA for 2 months… This is just a small amount, but it is a symbolic amount,” Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said.
He said in a post in X, “We have taken a decisive step for the economic interests of the state. We must always put the bright future of the state before our personal gains.”
“I have full faith that all of you honourable public representatives will also join us in this noble work and will voluntarily support this important decision of delaying your salaries and allowances. This is not just our responsibility, but will also be a symbol of our true service and loyalty towards every citizen of the state”, the post further added.
While addressing a press conference, the Chief Minister also hit out against the previous BJP state government, saying, “The state’s situation is not good, and if anyone is responsible for this, it is the previous BJP government. They had received around Rs 10,000 crore from the revenue deficit grant according to the 15 Finance Commission, and since then this grant has been reducing.”
