Deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary on Monday dodged queries on coming clean on the much-awaited cabinet sub-committee report pertaining to regularisation of daily wagers in Jammu and Kashmir. When asked whether it would be tabled before the House during this budget session, Choudhary asked, “Is this the only issue confronting J&K?”
In a veiled attack on the BJP, he went on to claim that there were some daily wagers, who have become leaders (pawns) and indulged in politics on the directions of a party. “Few daily wagers have become leaders. They do politics and hold protests on the directions of a party. As far as the stand of the National Conference (NC) is concerned, our leader Omar Abdullah has constituted a committee. We engaged them and we would regularise them. We are more sympathetic to them than you,” he said.
In the last budget session during March last year, chief minister Omar Abdullah had announced a high-powered panel headed by chief secretary Atal Dulloo to look into the issue of regularisation of daily wagers engaged in various government departments. The panel was given six months time to submit its recommendations to the government.
According to an old estimate of the previous PDP-BJP coalition government that fell apart in June 2018, Jammu and Kashmir had 61,000 such workers. The number has now roughly risen to nearly a lakh.
{{/usCountry}}According to an old estimate of the previous PDP-BJP coalition government that fell apart in June 2018, Jammu and Kashmir had 61,000 such workers. The number has now roughly risen to nearly a lakh.
{{/usCountry}}On leader of opposition Sunil Sharma and BJP MLA RS Pathania, who joined a protest by youth agitating over proposed National Law University here on Sunday, Choudhary said the LoP always tried to create ruckus. “The LoP always tries to create hungama (ruckus) but it doesn’t solve issues. There are several big issues in J&K. The BJP had promised statehood to J&K after assembly elections, where is it,” he asked.
The deputy CM said that the people of Jammu should be thankful to CM Omar for resumption of Darbar Move, which was stopped in 2021 by the BJP. “We don’t have even a single local vice chancellor in Jammu. Why? Ask the BJP,” he added.
PDP MLA Waheed Parra, however, called the NC government, a total failure. “It’s been over one and a half years since CM Omar Abdullah announced the cabinet sub-committee on daily wagers. Why is the government dragging its feet on a humane issue that deserved empathy,” he said.
“We had brought a bill on daily wagers last year. It hasn’t been taken up yet. We hope that regularisation of all daily wagers, contractual and ad-hoc employees with more than five to six years of service, are regularised. It has been almost one and a half years since the government formed a committee. The process should start. The government is duty bound because it announced the cabinet sub-committee on the floor of the house, made promises in its election manifesto and during elections,” said Parra.
He also slammed the government over amended reservation policy and demanded that the share of 65% should be kept for open merit candidates.
On the amended reservation policy which has been awaiting LG’s approval, Parra said that his party was not against it but it should be rationalised.
“We are not against it but there should be rationalisation. The new reservation policy is somewhere at the cost of merit. The open merit must be in proportion to the population, whether Hindus or Muslims in J&K. Merit cannot be compromised,” he said.
The PDP MLA said that if the open merit has a rightful share of 65%, then it should be given to it. “While we demand a cabinet sub-committee report on daily-wagers, we also seek rationalisation of the reservation policy,” he said.
It may be stated here that Omar’s cabinet on December 3 last year had sent the file on amended reservation policy to the LG recommending a 10% increase in open merit category (7% from EWS and 3% from RBA category).
It was done to raise the open merit quota by 10%.