Jammu, February 19 Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Thursday that the government would initiate the process of regularizing daily-rated, ad hoc, and other temporary employees in a legally and financially sustainable manner in 2026, even as it works to fill nearly 30,000 vacant positions during the current year.
Responding to the discussion on grants for his departments and cut motions in the Assembly, Abdullah said the issue of daily wagers and temporary workers was raised by members across party lines, and he acknowledged that the problem had persisted for decades. "These employees have been struggling for 20, 30, and even 40 years. No government has been able to fully resolve the issue," he said.
"During the discussion on the Lieutenant Governor's address and later during the Budget session, I clearly stated that we would begin the process of regularizing these employees in a legally and financially viable manner this year, God willing," he said.
The Chief Minister informed that a committee, under the supervision of the Chief Secretary, had been constituted to examine the matter to ensure that any policy framed does not get stuck in courts or the finance department. "Once the committee submits its report and the groundwork is completed in a transparent manner, we will place everything before the people," he added.
Rejecting any suggestion of a rushed decision, Abdullah said regularisation could not be done overnight. "I am not willing to mislead these employees by merely signing a paper without proper preparation," he said, adding that the number of such workers — whether 70,000, 80,000, or one lakh — would be worked out through a proper timetable.
Over one lakh daily wagers and casual laborers are currently engaged across government departments in Jammu and Kashmir, the Chief Minister informed the Assembly on Tuesday, assuring that a legally sustainable approach is being adopted on the issue of their regularisation.
He highlighted that the registered workforce includes 69,696 casual laborers, 8,836 daily rated workers, 8,534 seasonal laborers, 5,757 food and civil supplies helpers, 2,153 part-time sweepers, and 1,929 persons engaged through the hospital development fund.
On the matter of employment generation, the Chief Minister mentioned that there was a clear distinction between the creation of posts and appointments. "We have created posts, but filled far more — around 6,000 to 6,500 posts," he said, reiterating that the government aims to fill nearly 30,000 vacant posts this year without creating new positions.
He also assured the House that all vacancies would be filled in a transparent and time-bound manner in coordination with the Selection Board and the Public Service Commission, to avoid legal challenges that had derailed recruitment processes in the past.