Srinagar, September 24: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said that there is currently no fixed timeline for finalising a policy to regularise casual, seasonal, temporary, contractual and need-based workers in the Union Territory.
The government informed the Legislative Assembly that the matter is under active consideration, with a committee headed by the Chief Secretary examining the issue and its legal, administrative and financial implications.
The response was given to a question raised by MLA Mohammad Tarigami regarding the status of the committee constituted to examine the regularisation of such workers.
According to the government, the committee was constituted in March 2025 and is examining cases of workers engaged across various departments. It has been tasked with considering the humanitarian, legal and financial aspects of regularisation.
The government said any proposed policy would have to comply with existing laws, statutory provisions and recruitment rules, while also taking into account its financial implications.
Omar Abdullah said the committee is working towards developing a uniform framework that can be implemented across departments. However, given the large number of categories and the legal, administrative and financial issues involved, the government said it would not be appropriate to announce a rigid timeline at this stage.
The government also clarified that the committee’s terms of reference do not cover a separate policy for compassionate engagement of family members of workers who died while awaiting regularisation.
There are reportedly around one lakh casual and daily-rated workers in Jammu and Kashmir who have been awaiting regularisation for several years.
