Himachal Pradesh may be trying to woo tourists but it also seems to be on a drive to shed government staff.
The state Cabinet on Wednesday decided that government staffers could seek premature retirement once they completed the 20 years in service. The earlier limit was 45 years. Reformers have welcomed the move as it could help reduce the number of employees in government, as this could reduce the state debt. The state — which started the ‘Unforgettable Himachal’ tourism promotional campaign to attract domestic and foreign visitors — has accumulated a debt of Rs 28,000 crore. In 2010-11, the state paid Rs 4,591 crore as wages and salaries to government staff (Budget estimates) — which is 38 per cent of the state government’s revenue expenditure — compared with Rs 4,077 crore in 2009-10. This shows that the average monthly salary of a government employee in the state is Rs 15,000, against Rs 24,000 for a central government employee.
Himachal probably has the highest ratio of government employees in the country. There are close to 2.5 lakh government employees, while the population of the state is only 68 lakh. The government will consider 20 years of regular service with satisfactory service record as the eligibility criterion for an employee to seek pre - mature retirement. The government servant will have to give three months’ notice. The latest policy change has tried to make the state civil services premature retirement rules more practical and in consonance with the pension rules, a senior government official said.