SRINAGAR: More than one lakh casual and daily rated workers in Jammu and Kashmir are still waiting for regularisation, the government informed the Legislative Assembly in Jammu in a written reply to questions from MLAs.
According to official data, a total of 1,00,501 casual, daily rated and other workers have been registered across different departments in the Union Territory through Aadhaar-based biometric identification and skill profiling. The registered workers include 69,696 casual labourers, 8,534 seasonal labourers, 8,836 daily rated or work-charged employees, 3,092 part-time workers, 156 CIC operators, 5,757 NYC hamals or drivers of the FCS&CA Department, 1,929 persons engaged under the Hospital Development Fund, 2,153 part-time sweepers and 348 settlement assistants of the Revenue Department.
Out of the total, 57,390 workers belong to the Kashmir division, while 40,077 are in the Jammu division. The highest number of such workers are engaged in the PHE/I&FC sector with 38,585 workers, followed by the Power Development Department with 13,616, Education with 12,646, Forest with 8,317 and Public Works (R&B) with 6,801.
Replying to a question about regularising workers who have served for over two decades, the government said a committee headed by the Chief Secretary has been set up to study the issue. The panel has been asked to review different worker categories, service rules, financial impact and legal aspects before suggesting a complete plan.
“The matter involves legal, administrative and financial considerations, including compliance with constitutional provisions and judicial pronouncements governing public employment,” the government said, adding the committee is undertaking a detailed and comprehensive examination of all related aspects in consultation with the concerned departments.
The government added that it will examine the committee’s recommendations and take further action in line with legal and financial requirements. Meanwhile, casual and daily wage workers continue to press for early regularisation of their services.