Regular engagement policy proves damp squib

Nearly one-and-a-half year after the Jammu and Kashmir government rolled out a policy for regular engagement of casual, seasonal and other workers, only 578 cases have been approved so far under the initiative.

Official documents in possession of Greater Kashmir 578cases have been cleared by the empowered committee for regular engagement underthe policy unveiled by the previous PDP-BJP government in December 2017.

   

Headed by Finance secretary, the committee is empowered torecommend “regularization” of casual, seasonal and other workers, afterscrutinizing the proposals submitted by different departments.

What could raise questions on implementation of the policyis that only 0.57 percent of the total strength of casual, seasonal anddaily-wagers in the state, have been benefitted from the initiative till date.

“This shows that government has gone slow in implementingthe policy. Besides, it also proves that this scheme was nothing more than alollipop for daily-wagers. The stringent conditions would make very less peopleeligible for benefits under the policy,” a former bureaucrat, wishinganonymity, told Greater Kashmir.

As per official figures, 100501 casual, seasonal and otherworkers are working in different departments of state government. Among thedepartments, PHE/I&FC Department has highest number of such workers (38585)followed by PDD ((13616), Education (12646), Forest (8317), Revenue (6801).

According to official documents, the first meeting ofempowered committee, which decides on regularisation, took place almost sevenmonths after the policy was unveiled.

On July 02 last year, the empowered committee met for thefirst time and cleared 22 cases under the policy.

In its 2nd , 3rd , 4th, 5th and 6th meetings, the committeeapproved 117,33,138,174 and 94 cases respectively under the policy.

The committee last time met on January 2, 2019 and sincethen no meeting has been convened even as hundreds of daily-wagers working onmeagre salaries are running from pillar to post for their regularization.

While nobody was willing to come on record over the matter,a senior official in Finance department said that they can process cases forregular engagement only after departments submit requisite documents.

“What can we do if departments don’t submit requisitedetails and documents? You should ask departments why they don’t submitdocuments, “he said, adding that all genuine cases would be covered under thepolicy.

The official, however, said that there is no concrete figureabout casual, seasonal and other workers, engaged in different departments.

The regular engagement policy was unveiled in 2017 after thestate cabinet accepted the roadmap prepared by the high-level committee forabsorption/regularisation of casual/seasonal labourers/daily-rated workers toensure sustainable livelihood for them.

Under the policy, the seasonal/casual workers are entitledto monthly remuneration from Rs 10,000 to Rs 24,000 provided that their periodof engagement is above 10 years.

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