Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 31: The Government has decided to set up high powered committee of Ministers and external experts to examine the issue of regularization of casual/seasonal labourers and make recommendations.
Minister of State for Finance Pawan Gupta made a statement to this effect in the Legislative Assembly today in response to the Call Attention Notice of Congress MLA and former Minister Ghulam Mohammad Saroori.
Recalling that previous Government had set up a Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC), which had furnished its report, Gupta said given the extent and magnitude of the problem i.e. financial, legal and administration, which may arise in regularization of such class of workers, the Government has now decided to set up high powered committee of Ministers and external experts to examine the issue and make recommendations on regularization of casual/seasonal labourers.
He told the Assembly there were 59,883 daily wagers engaged by the Government up to January 31, 1994. Of them, 56,223 have been regularized till February 2015 while remaining 3660 will be regularized as and when proposals complete in all respects are received from concerned administrative Departments subject to the condition that daily wagers (proposed for regularization) fulfill the conditions laid down in SRO 64 of 1994 dated 24.3.1994.
Saroori, however, said that two Committees had been set up in 20 years for regularization of workers and the Government was now proposing another Committee. He said the workers were being paid Rs 4500 per month in Kashmir while in Jammu they were being paid meager wages only on the occasion of Diwali and Eid festivals.
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Syed Basharat Bukhari said the Government will assess the issue but Saroori wanted a categorical assurance on regularization of daily wagers and workers and payment of wages to them every month.
“We will assess it,” Bukhari reiterated.
Not satisfied with the reply, Saroori staged walk-out in the House.
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