Srinagar, Sep 11, : Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Friday said the Omar Abdullah-led government may regularize daily wagers working across various government departments in a phased manner, while appealing to the workers not to become a “political tool”.Choudhary said daily wagers are working in almost every government department and described their demand for regularization as genuine, indicating that the government intends to address the issue through a phased process.Talking to reporters, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “Daily wagers are in every department and we will regularize them as their demand is genuine.”He also appealed to the workers not to allow themselves to be exploited by political parties, saying they should not become a political tool over the issue of regularization.The statement comes amid continued demands by daily wagers and other temporary workers for regularization. The government had earlier indicated that it would begin the regularization process in 2026, subject to legal and financial considerations.More than one lakh casual, daily-rated and other temporary workers have been registered across government departments, according to figures presented before the J&K Legislative Assembly earlier this year. Workers’ organizations have separately been demanding regularization of long-serving daily wagers and a clear, time-bound policy.The government had also constituted a high-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary to examine the legal, financial and administrative aspects of regularization and formulate a roadmap.Choudhary’s latest remarks indicate that the government is considering a phased approach to the regularization of eligible daily wagers, while the workers continue to seek clarity on the timeframe and modalities of the process. [KNT]
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