NEW DELHI: Sukhvinder Sukhu, the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, has stated his intention to meet with Nirmala Sitharaman, the minister of finance for the Union, in the capital in order to get a reimbursement of the state government's deposit of Rs. 9242.60 crore in the New Pension Scheme (NPS).
Following Sukhu's plea at the eighth meeting of the NITI Aayog's governing council, held on Saturday in New Delhi, the decision to seek the refund was made. He urged with the central government to tell the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority to give the state government's deposit back.
Sukhu reaffirmed the Congress government's intention to delivering on its pre-election promise to reinstate the old pension scheme in Himachal Pradesh while speaking at the "Purani Pension Aabhar Rally" organised for the state's government employees. He stressed that the first Cabinet meeting held following the installation of the state's new Congress government gave top priority to restoring the old pension system.
Sukhu committed to fight for the return of the Rs. 9242.60 crore that was placed in the NPS, emphasising that it is the state's legitimate rights. He made plans to meet with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Delhi to address the situation and ask for her assistance in finding a solution. "We are committed to recovering the NPS deposit of Rs. 9242.60 crore. We will fight for our right to have the money back. To speak with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman about the situation, I would travel to Delhi, Sukhu added.
In addition to pursuing the reimbursement, Sukhu gave the employees the assurance that board-corporation personnel would also receive the advantages of the previous pension plan. In order to ensure that a larger spectrum of people can benefit from the prior pension system, he also said that corporations that had previously been excluded from the programme would be added in due course.
Sukhu also demanded that the cap on foreign aid be lifted, that applications be approved quickly, that the Bhanupali-Bilaspur-Leh railway line receive full government support, and that ropeway projects be included in the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojna. He emphasised the state's goals for the development of green energy and tourism under the banner of "Green Himachal." In order to make Himachal Pradesh the most developed state in the nation, he requested the cooperation of the national government and NITI Aayog.
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