Jammu, April 1 Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary reiterated the government's commitment to regularizing daily wage workers, emphasizing that the process would be conducted in a structured manner, taking into account financial constraints.
Highlighting the importance of assurances made in the assembly, Choudhary said that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has already committed to regularizing daily wagers within his tenure.
"When such a statement is made in the assembly, it must be taken seriously," he told reporters when asked about the government's failure to regularize daily wagers in Jammu and Kashmir.
"I made it clear yesterday that sometimes we speak in a light-hearted manner, but the reality is that when the Leader of the House and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah state in the assembly that these workers will be regularized — within his tenure — this commitment should be taken seriously."
The deputy chief minister said that repeated protests by daily wage workers were unnecessary and indicated a lack of understanding of legislative processes.
"I feel that either the daily wagers do not understand the importance of the assembly, or those who instigate them and push them to protest every day also do not understand its significance. And if some members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) inside the House are provoking workers to protest, then they too are undermining the importance of the assembly," he added.
Choudhary noted that a committee has already been formed to examine the issue, and its report is awaited.
"When the chief minister has made a commitment on the floor of the House to regularize them — and has even formed a committee whose report is awaited — it is unrealistic to expect that they will be regularized overnight," he said.
He pointed to the financial implications of the initiative, questioning whether the Union Territory could sustain the burden of increased salaries. "Can the state bear the salary implications? If the central government hadn't provided special assistance of Rs 5,000 crore, it would have been challenging to pay the salaries of existing employees this March," he stated.
Choudhary, who described himself as a former trade union leader, said issues of this magnitude are resolved through negotiations rather than continuous protests. He urged the media and stakeholders to present a realistic picture to the workers, noting that frequent agitations could dilute the seriousness of the issue affecting lakhs of families.
Reaffirming the government's stand, he said the commitment was not limited to workers alone but extended to daily wagers across all departments. "The government has the complete list, and all eligible workers will be regularized as per due process," he added.