A temporary worker who has served the public for years should not remain temporary in hope, temporary in dignity, and temporary in justice. Jammu and Kashmir’s unresolved issue of regularization is not just an administrative matter pending before a committee. It is a human question linked with families, livelihoods, age, uncertainty and the silent labour of thousands of workers who have kept essential public services running through difficult times. The Government’s statement that the policy is still under examination, nearly 18 months after a committee was constituted, may reflect the complexity of the issue, but it also exposes the need for faster, clearer and more humane decision-making.
The Government has informed the Legislative Assembly that the committee constituted under Government Order No. 384-JK(GAD) of 2025 dated March 19, 2025, is examining the cases of casual, seasonal, temporary and contractual workers engaged in different departments. The committee is looking into humanitarian, legal and financial aspects before recommending a regularisation framework. This is necessary because any policy must be legally sound, financially responsible and administratively workable. Regularization cannot be handled casually, nor can it be built only on sentiment. It must respect recruitment rules, constitutional principles and public finance. But the humanitarian reality cannot be kept waiting endlessly behind technical language. Many temporary workers, daily wagers and contractual employees have given years of service to departments. They have worked on modest wages, uncertain terms and without the protection that comes with regular employment. They have cleaned public spaces, maintained systems, supported offices, repaired infrastructure and helped departments function. For such workers, regularization is not merely a demand. It is the difference between insecurity and stability, between anxiety and confidence, between being used as labour and being recognized as human beings with rights and responsibilities. The Government has pointed out that different categories of workers were engaged under different terms and departmental requirements. This is true, and it cannot be ignored. Casual labourers, seasonal workers, contractual employees and daily-rated workers may not all stand on the same legal ground. Some engagements may be proper, some may require deeper scrutiny, and some may not fit within the regular recruitment framework. But complexity should not become an excuse for indefinite delay. A serious government must classify workers clearly, identify genuinely eligible cases honestly and place a transparent roadmap before the public. The issue of wages also deserves attention. The Government has stated that daily-rated workers and casual seasonal labourers are being paid as per notified minimum wages. That is important, but it is only the minimum standard of fairness. Minimum wages cannot become a substitute for long-term security. A worker who has spent years serving a department needs more than monthly survival. He needs clarity about his future, protection against arbitrary removal, social security and a dignified place in the system. The core challenge before Jammu and Kashmir is to create a regularization policy that balances compassion with law. The Government cannot ignore merit-based recruitment, but it also cannot ignore genuine long-serving workers who have become part of the administrative machinery. The policy must avoid both injustice and irregularity. It should not open the door to arbitrary regularization, but it should also not leave sincere workers permanently trapped in uncertainty. The right answer lies in a careful, category-wise, legally vetted and time-bound framework. Delay is now hurting everyone. Workers remain anxious, departments continue to depend on uncertain manpower, and public trust weakens with every postponed decision. If a committee has been formed, it must function with a fixed deadline. If departments are required to submit data, they must be given strict timelines. If financial implications are a concern, the Government can prepare a phased plan. What cannot continue is endless examination without visible progress. Silence creates suspicion, and repeated assurances without results deepen frustration. The way forward must be practical, transparent and humane. The Government should immediately publish a category-wise status of temporary, casual, seasonal, daily-rated and contractual workers across departments. Eligibility should be clearly defined on the basis of length of service, continuity of work, mode of engagement, nature of duties and departmental requirement. The committee report should be completed within a declared timeframe and followed by a legally sustainable policy. Eligible workers may be regularized in phases, while those who do not qualify should be given fair alternatives, timely wages, social security cover and preference wherever permissible in future recruitment.
Jammu and Kashmir cannot build a fair administrative future by keeping workers permanently temporary. The Government must act with heart, but also with law. It must protect merit, respect public finance and still recognize genuine service. Thousands of temporary workers are not asking for charity; they are asking for clarity, dignity and justice after years of labour. A time-bound regularization policy would reduce unrest, strengthen departments and restore faith among workers that the system can listen, decide and deliver. For the sake of these workers and their families, the Government must now move from examination to decision, from assurance to action and from uncertainty to justice.