Regularisation: Cabinet set to okay policy today

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 23

The Cabinet is expected to give its nod to regularise the services of 25,000-odd contractual employees during tomorrow’s meeting.

After regularisation, these employees will be paid the basic salary for the first three years. Sources in the Finance Department, which has been consulted before giving a final shape to the policy for regularising employees, stated that after three years, when all emoluments would be given to these employees, the state would bear an additional burden of Rs 2,000 crore per annum.

About 55 per cent of the state’s revenue receipts go towards paying salaries and wages to 1.24 lakh employees.

Sources in the government told The Tribune that the Cabinet sub-committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal would present its report on how the services of these employees could be regularised. A meeting of this panel was held on October 13, wherein it was decided that the services of only those temporary employees were to be regularised where the proper procedure — first advertising posts, then selecting eligible candidates through interview or written test — for employing them was followed.

Following this meeting, all additional chief secretaries, financial commissioners, principal secretaries and secretaries in all departments were asked to prepare a report on the number of contractual employees, those employed on ad hoc/work charge basis, daily wagers, temporary staff and those under Central or state government schemes, be prepared and sent to the Personnel Department. This report will be presented before the Cabinet tomorrow. Sources said the Cabinet would also discuss changes in the mega housing projects policy of the Housing Department.