Finance Minister Dr Haseeb A Drabu today announced to formulate a comprehensive plan to address the issues relating to the plights of daily wagers, adhoc, contractual and all other such categories of temporary workers in the State within next couple of Months.The Minister today visited the daily rated workers who were on a hunger strike at Pratap Park Lal Chowk here and assured them that the government was committed to resolve their issues and persuaded them to break the fast. After breaking their fast, Drabu assured that the Government will examine their demands sympathetically and take an appropriate decision soon.
The Finance Minister said that process has already been set in motion to address the issue. “I have announced in the Assembly that an expert committee will be formed which will come out with a roadmap for regularizing all kinds of non-regular employees,” said Dr Drabu. “Within next two to four months a roadmap will be framed and put before the cabinet for an appropriate decision” said Dr. Drabu.
The Finance Minister said that there are at least 14-15 categories of temporary employees like daily wagers, contractual, casual labour, academic arrangement etc engaged by the previous governments from time to time without any concrete planning. He said that it is not the issue of just 60,000 temporary workers but it is problem of 60,000 families, and government is serious to address this human issue, he added.
The Finance Minister said that government will find a balance between regularization of daily wagers and having least impact on state’s finances. “We are working on a plan wherein we estimate that all daily wagers should be regularised within the next three to five years,” said Dr. Drabu while asking temporary workers to remain patient. This issue has been hanging in fire for the last two decades and to resolve it in a justifiable manner it will take some time and they need to have patience and trust in the present regime, said Dr. Drabu.