What happened
In early 2026, Himachal Pradesh — reeling from the Centre stopping Revenue Deficit Grants, cutting state income by roughly Rs 8,000 crore per year — announced it would defer 50% of the Chief Minister's salary, 30% of ministers' salaries, and 20% of MLAs' salaries for six months as a gesture of fiscal solidarity. The announcement was widely covered. On June 10, after six weeks, the government issued a fresh order withdrawing the deferment for every minister, MLA, Speaker, and Deputy Speaker, with back-pay scheduled for release in July alongside their regular salaries. The Chief Minister's 50% cut was exempted from the rollback and will continue, per the order, "until further orders" — leaving the state's singular performance of austerity precisely one person wide. The June 10 order was issued on the same day the state was managing other austerity measures for regular employees, who have not received similar back-pay notifications.