Daily Wagers Could Be Regularized in Phases, Says Dy CM Surinder Choudhary

Srinagar, September 11: Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Friday said the Jammu and Kashmir government is considering regularization of eligible daily wagers across government departments in a phased manner, while urging workers not to let political parties exploit the issue.

Choudhary said daily wagers are engaged across almost all government departments and described their demand for regularization as genuine.

“Daily wagers are in every department and we will regularize them as their demand is genuine,” the Deputy Chief Minister told reporters.

He also appealed to the workers to remain cautious against political exploitation and not allow themselves to become a political tool over the regularization issue.

The statement comes amid sustained demands from daily wagers and other temporary employees for regularization and a clear policy governing their long-term employment.

Government figures presented before the J&K Legislative Assembly earlier this year showed that more than one lakh casual, daily-rated and other temporary workers have been registered across various departments.

The government has also constituted a high-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary to examine the legal, financial and administrative aspects of regularization and prepare a roadmap for the process.

Choudhary’s remarks indicate that the government is considering a phased approach for eligible workers, although the timeline and detailed modalities for regularization remain to be clarified.