The government would be preparing a database of all casual/daily rated workers engaged in different departments to ascertain their exact numbers, period from which they are working, appointing authority etc before taking a decision on how they can be regularized or benefitted in other ways.
Sources said the exercise is expected to start shortly and questionnaires to be sought from different departments about casual/daily wage workers are being drafted before being finalized and sent to the departments for detailed information.
Sources said the upcoming annual budget of Jammu and Kashmir for the financial year of 2025-26 to be presented by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who holds charge of the Finance Department, could also give some indications about such workers, they said.
“The Government first wants to prepare a database of casual/daily rated workers including their total numbers in the different departments, department-wise workers, duration from which they have been working, name of the appointing authority and other related information required for taking further decision on them,” they said.
Officials said a fresh census of the workers is a must so that the government is aware of exact numbers and other requisite details before taking any kind of decision on them.
During the PDP-BJP coalition government, the then Finance Ministry had stated that the number of casual/daily wage workers was 65,000 but when detailed information was sought from different departments, the number crossed one lakh.
The NC in its poll manifesto had pledged regularisation of daily wagers.