SRINAGAR, Sept 24: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said there is no rigid timeframe yet for finalising a policy on regularisation of casual, seasonal, temporary, contractual and need-based workers in the Union Territory.
The Government said the matter is under active consideration, while a committee headed by the Chief Secretary is conducting a comprehensive examination of the issue, including its legal, administrative and financial implications.
The written response was given in the Legislative Assembly to a question by MLA Mohammad Tarigami regarding the status of the report and recommendations of the committee constituted to examine the regularisation of such workers.
According to the Government, the committee was constituted in March 2025 and has been examining cases of workers engaged in different departments across Jammu and Kashmir.
The committee has been tasked with examining the humanitarian, legal and financial aspects associated with regularisation. The Government said the workers belong to diverse categories and were engaged at different points in time under varying terms and conditions.
It said any proposed policy would have to conform to applicable statutory provisions, the existing legal position and the prescribed recruitment framework, besides taking into account its financial implications.
“The Committee is, accordingly, undertaking a comprehensive examination for the formulation of a uniform framework that is legally enforceable and administratively implementable across all departments,” Omar said.
On the timeline for submission of the committee’s report and final policy decision, the Government said it was conscious of the need for a structured and sustainable resolution.
“The issue is under active consideration, and efforts are being made to complete the requisite examination and consultations at the earliest,” the Chief Minister said, adding that it would not be appropriate to indicate a rigid timeframe at this stage due to the multiplicity of categories and legal, administrative and financial implications involved.
The Government said a considered decision would be taken after completion of the examination and receipt of requisite inputs from concerned departments and authorities.
On a policy for compassionate engagement of an eligible family member of workers who died while awaiting regularisation, the Government said the issue was not covered under the committee’s terms of reference.
There are around one lakh casual and daily-rated workers in Jammu and Kashmir who have been awaiting regularisation for years.