State Government Clears Pension Arrears for Retired HRTC Employees: Agnihotri

Ahead of Diwali, ₹75.47 crore transferred to pensioners’ bank accounts

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who also holds charge of the Transport Department, announced today that the state government has approved the transfer of ₹75.47 crore to the bank accounts of Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) pensioners ahead of Diwali.

Addressing the media, Agnihotri said that pensions have been disbursed to pensioners across all three categories and that all outstanding pension dues at HRTC have now been cleared.

He stated that 222 retired HRTC employees, who had not received their first pension after retirement in recent months, have been paid all their dues, including ₹29.47 crore in arrears. Additionally, 647 pensioners who have crossed the age of 75 and are eligible for revised pensions have been paid ₹23 crore in arrears. The bank accounts of retired HRTC employees have also been credited with ₹23 crore for pending September 2025 pensions.

Agnihotri added that 420 cases related to gratuity payments due to death are still pending at HRTC, and ₹33 crore will soon be deposited into the accounts of the respective family members. He further mentioned that ₹33 crore for leave encashment of 490 retired employees is also pending and that the government is striving to deposit this amount into the pensioners’ accounts by the end of this month.

Responding to BJP allegations that the previous Congress government made irregular salary and pension payments due to the state’s poor financial condition, Agnihotri said that the Jai Ram Thakur government had announced an inflation allowance for state employees in August 2022 but no budgetary provision had been made for it. As a result, the BJP government inherited arrears of ₹11,000 crore owed to employees.