The Central and State Pensioners Front, Himachal Pradesh, affiliated to the National Coordination Committee of Pensioners Associations (NCCPA), held its first state conference at Kali Bari Hall in Shimla on Wednesday to highlight their demands and launch an agitation.
Inaugurating the conference, former IFS officer Kuldeep Tanwar accused the government for allegedly adopting policies “ hostile towards employees, pensioners, farmers and workers . “
He said, “The implications of the validation clause introduced in the Finance Act, 2025, regarding the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972, nullifies all judgments, decrees, or orders passed by any court, tribunal, or authority with retrospective effect; notwithstanding anything contained in the pension rules and has empowered the government to classify and discriminate among its pensioners, disregarding the principle of equality”.
The pensioner’s demanded abolition of NPS/UPS and restore the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) under CCS Pension Rules, Constitution of the 8th Central Pay Commission, release of DA/DR arrears withheld for 18 months give three installments of IDA arrears for BSNL/MTNL pensioners.
The other demands include revision of pension for absorbed BSNL/MTNL pensioners, updating pension for bank pensioners and central autonomous bodies and implementation of recommendations of Parliamentary Standing Committee, etc.
Nearly y 400 delegates from Ex-Servicemen Welfare League, All India Ex-Para Military Forces Association, Department of Posts, AG (HP), BSNL, EPFO, Government of India Press, HP State Electricity Board (HPSEB), corporate sector, autonomous bodies, and the Kangra Pensioners Association, as well as pensioners from all Himachal Pradesh government departments under the banner of the HP Pensioners Joint Front joined the conference.
The conference also elected a state level body headed by Sundar Jishtu (President), Atma Ram Sharma (Executive President) and Jagmohan Thakur as General Secretary.
