The Jammu and Kashmir Government has declined to set a deadline for deciding on the regularisation of casual, seasonal and need-based workers, saying a high-level committee is still examining the legal, administrative and financial implications of the long-pending issue.
The government conveyed this in a written reply to a starred question raised by CPI(M) MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami during the ongoing autumn session of the Legislative Assembly.
A committee headed by the Chief Secretary was constituted through Government Order No. 384-JK(GAD) of 2025 dated March 19, 2025, to examine the matter and formulate a uniform framework for dealing with the various categories of workers.
The government said the committee is examining workers who were engaged at different times and under different terms and conditions, making the issue complex from legal and administrative perspectives.
According to the reply, any proposed policy would have to comply with applicable statutory provisions, the prevailing legal position and the prescribed recruitment framework, while also taking into account the financial implications of regularisation.
The government said consultations with the departments concerned are being undertaken from administrative, legal and financial perspectives before a final decision is taken.
Asked by Tarigami about the status of the committee’s report and the timeframe for ensuring a fair, transparent and time-bound resolution, the government said it was not appropriate to prescribe a rigid deadline at this stage.
It said the matter remained under active consideration and efforts were being made to complete the necessary examination and consultations at the earliest.
The government said the multiplicity of worker categories and the legal, administrative and financial consequences of any decision required a comprehensive assessment before a final framework could be adopted.
In a separate part of the query, Tarigami sought details of a proposed policy for compassionate engagement of eligible family members of workers who died while in service and were awaiting regularisation.
The government said this issue does not fall within the terms of reference of the committee constituted to examine regularisation.
It told the House that a considered decision would be taken after all relevant aspects had been examined and the required inputs obtained from the departments and authorities concerned.
