Regularisation of daily rated workers in phased manner from next financial year: CM Omar Abdullah

STC NEWS DESK
JAMMU, FEBRUARY 19 (STC): Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has announced that the long-pending issue of regularisation of daily rated workers will be addressed in a phased manner beginning next financial year.
The proposed phased mechanism may involve categorisation based on length of service, departmental requirements, and financial viability. However, the Government has not yet disclosed detailed eligibility criteria or timelines.
Notably, the Chief Minister acknowledged the decades-old struggle of daily wagers, casual labourers, and other temporary workers who have been seeking job security and dignity of service. He stated that the Government is fully aware of the social and economic hardships faced by thousands of such workers and their families.
“The regularisation process will commence from the next financial year in a structured, transparent and fiscally sustainable manner,” the Chief Minister said, underlining that the Government does not intend to make ad-hoc announcements but will instead follow a clear and workable roadmap.
It’s pertinent to mention that successive governments have faced criticism for delays and unfulfilled assurances, while employees’ unions have repeatedly staged protests demanding a concrete policy for regularisation.
The Chief Minister reiterated that the Government seeks to strike a balance between fiscal discipline and social justice. “We are determined to find a fair, practical and humane solution,” he told the House, assuring that policy clarity would emerge in the upcoming financial year.
The Chief Minister emphasized that the present dispensation is committed to resolving the issue in a practical and humane manner. He noted that financial constraints cannot be ignored, but at the same time, the Government recognizes its moral responsibility toward workers who have served various departments for years, often on meagre wages and without service benefits.
Opposition members in the House have welcomed the announcement.

(Straight Talk Communications)