Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary said on Friday that the Omar Abdullah-led government may regularize daily wagers working across various government departments in a phased manner, even as he appealed to the workers not to allow themselves to be used as a “political tool” amid the ongoing debate over their demands.
Choudhary said daily wagers are present in almost every government department and described their demand for regularization as genuine, signalling that the government intends to address the issue through a structured, phased process rather than a single sweeping measure. Speaking to reporters, the Deputy Chief Minister said the government recognised the legitimacy of the demand and would move to regularize eligible workers accordingly.
He also urged daily wagers not to let themselves be exploited by political parties, cautioning against the issue of regularization being turned into a political tool, a remark that comes amid continued and vocal demands from daily wagers and other temporary workers across Jammu and Kashmir. The government had earlier indicated it would begin the regularization process in 2026, subject to legal and financial considerations that officials have said need to be worked through carefully.
According to figures presented before the J&K Legislative Assembly earlier this year, more than one lakh casual, daily-rated and other temporary workers have been registered across government departments, a scale that underscores the administrative and financial complexity of any regularization exercise. Workers’ organisations have separately been pressing for regularization of long-serving daily wagers along with a clear, time-bound policy that would give them certainty on when and how the process will unfold.
The government had earlier constituted a high-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary to examine the legal, financial and administrative aspects of regularization and to formulate a roadmap for implementation. Choudhary’s latest remarks suggest the government is now leaning toward a phased approach for eligible daily wagers, even as workers continue to seek greater clarity on the exact timeframe and modalities the process will follow.
