Shimla, Oct. 10 -- Families awaiting compassionate appointments in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday urged the state government to clear long-pending cases, fast-track appointments already cleared through screening, and extend a uniform annual-income ceiling of Rs 3 lakh to rejected applicants, saying delays risk making many eligible dependants overage.

A delegation of approximately 250 to 300 applicants and family members from across the state reached the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat on the day of a Cabinet meeting to press their demands. The applicants are dependants of government employees who died while in service, either in accidents or other circumstances, and are seeking employment as relief under the compassionate-appointment policy....