India
-Oneindia Staff
The Punjab government has regularised the services of 516 daily-wage workers in the Forest Department, giving long-serving employees formal job security after years of temporary employment. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann handed over appointment letters and also announced the restoration of long-pending promotions for 237 officers and employees of the department.
The Punjab government regularised 516 daily-wage workers in the Forest Department, restored promotions for 237 employees, and provided direct employment under a May 16, 2023 policy with relaxations, part of the administration’s over 68,000 merit-based jobs initiative.
The decision is being projected by the state government as part of its wider move against contractual employment in public services. Mann said the government had ended the contractor system and provided more than 68,000 government jobs on merit. He linked the move to the government’s stated goal of building a “Rangla Punjab”.
Punjab Forest Department workers get regular appointments
In a post on X, the Chief Minister said the day was important for Forest Department employees who had waited for years. “Today was a very important and happy day for the employees of the Forest Department. Securing the future of 516 daily-wage employees who had been waiting for years, we handed them appointment letters for regular jobs,” he wrote.
Mann also said the government had approved the restoration of promotions pending for 237 employees. He added that more than 68,000 young people had received regular government jobs so far, and that the administration remained fully committed to its “Rangla Punjab” vision.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said he had never signed a file that harmed an employee or caused financial loss to the state or its workforce. He accused previous governments of not supporting contractual workers, saying they had failed to understand the role such employees played in public departments.
The regularisation order is particularly significant for workers who had spent long periods in the department without permanent status. Mann said many of the 516 workers had served for over 10 years, while some had worked as daily wagers for nearly 25 years.
Special relaxations under 2023 policy
The Chief Minister said the state’s policy notified on May 16, 2023, provides service security to eligible employees. Workers covered under the policy can continue in service until the age of 58, after which they will retire under the normal process.
According to the government, a Finance Department letter issued in January 2024 laid down a clear salary structure for such employees. The policy prescribed minimum educational qualifications, including Class 8 for Group D employees and Class 10 for Group C drivers.
Mann said the government had also provided relief to workers who did not meet some educational or age conditions. He said the Cabinet approved special relaxations so that eligible workers were not denied regularisation benefits because of technical barriers after years of service.
The Chief Minister said there would now be no contractor between these employees and the government. “Now these employees will have direct employment, which will be dignified and will give them a clear path towards regular service,” he said, according to the statement shared by the government.
He said more than 65,000 contractual workers in Punjab had given important years of their lives to state service. The government, he said, was giving them what they were entitled to. He also said one government job secures not only an employee but an entire family.
Merit-based recruitment and pending promotions
Mann said the government had given about 68,268 government jobs to youth in Punjab through a transparent recruitment process. He said the “era of money and favouritism” had ended, and appointments were being made on merit and eligibility.
The Chief Minister claimed that not a single appointment made by his government had been challenged in court. He said the administration was committed to protecting employees’ interests and welfare through clear policies and transparent procedures.
The restoration of 237 pending promotions in the Forest Department is also expected to address long-standing concerns among serving staff. Promotions often affect pay, seniority and morale, especially in departments where field-level workers and officials serve in demanding conditions for extended periods.
Mann praised the contribution of Forest Department daily-wage workers, saying they had helped keep Punjab green and protected forests and wildlife. He said 1,458 daily-wage workers in the department had been regularised during the past four years.
He also said 342 more employees had been recruited through regular appointments in the past five years. The figures were cited by the government to underline its employment and regularisation record in the department.
Workers welcome decision after years of service
Several employees, including Surinder Kaur, Jaspal Singh, Surinder Singh, Jasbir Kaur, Gurpreet Singh, Halam Singh and Ravikant, shared their experiences at the event. They said they had served the department for years but had not received similar attention from previous governments.
The workers said regularisation had brought relief to them and their families. They credited the Chief Minister with fulfilling promises made to people and said permanent employment would help secure their future after years of uncertainty.
Mann also said the government was making efforts to renovate forest rest houses across Punjab. He expressed confidence that Forest Department employees would continue contributing to increasing the state’s green cover and protecting its ecological resources.
Cabinet Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, Forest Department Secretary K.K. Yadav and other officials were present at the event. The government’s decision now places the 516 workers within the formal service structure, while the restored promotions address another pending demand in the department.
