Over 1 lakh daily wagers, casual labourers identified in J&K departments: Government
KINS Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 31 (KINS): The Jammu and Kashmir administration has identified 1,00,501 daily wagers, casual labourers, and seasonal workers across various government departments who have been registered through a biometric Aadhaar-based system.
In a written reply submitted in the Legislative Assembly, the administration stated that these workers are engaged in multiple departments, with the highest numbers recorded in the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department at over 13,000, followed by the Power Development Department (PDD) with a similar figure, and the Public Works Department (PWD) with around 6,800, reported news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).
The government has constituted a committee headed by the Chief Secretary to examine the issue and suggest possible measures for regularisation or policy action.
Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah recently said the government is committed to addressing the concerns of casual workers but emphasized the need for verified and comprehensive data before any decision is taken.
“The matter is not being ignored. A committee led by the Chief Secretary is already reviewing it,” Omar Abdullah said. “We want to resolve this issue, but we first need accurate data about the number of workers and their service details before taking any decision.” (KINS)

