LG Manoj Sinha Clears Way for Private Member’s Bill on Regularising 60,000 Daily Wagers in J&K

Jammu, April 8: In a major development aimed at addressing the long-standing demands of thousands of temporary government employees, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has granted approval for the introduction of a Private Member’s Bill seeking the regularisation of daily wagers, ad hoc, need-based, and other temporary workers in the Union Territory.

The bill, formally titled “The Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Special Provisions for Regularization of Adhoc, Daily Wagers, Need Based and Other Temporary Workers) Bill, 2025,” has been proposed by senior PDP legislator Waheed Ur Rehman Para. The bill is expected to be tabled and discussed in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, marking a potential breakthrough in employment reform for thousands of affected workers.

The LG’s nod to the bill comes on the heels of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s March 11 announcement regarding the formation of a high-level committee under the Chief Secretary. The committee was tasked with formulating a comprehensive policy framework for the regularisation of these workers and has been given a six-month timeframe to submit its report.

Currently, more than 60,000 daily-rated and temporary employees are working across various departments in Jammu and Kashmir. Many of them have been in service for years, yet they continue to earn fixed monthly wages—typically around ₹9,000—without the safeguards of the Minimum Wages Act or job security.

This move is being seen as a strong step towards ensuring social justice and fair labour practices in the region’s government sector. Para’s initiative has earned support from various quarters, especially labour unions and employee welfare groups, who view it as a long-awaited acknowledgment of the services rendered by thousands of workers under challenging circumstances.

The Assembly debate on this proposed legislation is expected to be intense and politically significant, as it will test the government’s commitment to the welfare of contractual employees who have been demanding regularization for decades.