Omar: Panel formed to examine regularisation of casual workers

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Thursday that a panel has been formed to examine the issue related to the regularisation of casual, seasonal workers and other workers in the Union Territory.

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Recently, Bharatiya Janata Party legislators had created a ruckus in the Assembly demanding the regularisation of daily wagers. They also criticised the police action against protesting workers in Srinagar. The same day, Omar Abdullah announced the formation of a committee headed by the Chief Secretary.

On Thursday, Omar told the Assembly that a committee was announced in the House a few days ago and a formal order has been issued.

“The committee has been constituted under the Chief Secretary to examine the regularisation issue,” he said, adding that the committee has been given a six-month period and the government would consider it after the committee submits its report.

The Chief Minister also informed the Assembly that the government has planned to fill 7,253 vacancies—both gazetted and non-gazetted—by the end of the year. He also said that 11,526 selections have been made across these categories over the past two years.

The CM also provided a breakdown of the total 32,474 vacancies across 38 government departments as on January 31, 2025 which include 2,503 gazetted posts, 19,214 non-gazetted posts and 10,757 Class-IV (MTS) posts.

Omar Abdullah emphasised that the J&K Public Service Commission and JKSSB have been directed to adopt a proactive, target-based approach for timely recruitment.

Omar also said all administrative departments have been directed to refer available vacancies to recruiting agencies without delay.

According to official estimates, there are over 60,000 daily wagers in the UT. In its election manifesto, the NC had promised to formulate a policy for the regularisation of various employees, including daily wagers and casual labourers, in a “time-bound manner”.