Examiner Bureau | Srinagar:
The Jammu and Kashmir Casual Daily Wagers Forum has announced an Assembly gherao in Srinagar on September 28, demanding a clear and time-bound roadmap for the regularisation of nearly 61,000 daily wagers, according to the forum.
Forum president Sajad Ahmad Paray, addressing a press conference in Srinagar on Saturday, appealed to political parties, trade unions, religious leaders, civil society organisations, media representatives and other sections of society to participate in the proposed protest.
Paray said thousands of casual and daily-wage workers had served the government and the public for more than two decades but were still awaiting a concrete policy on regularisation.
He referred to the government’s decision of March 11, 2025, to constitute a committee headed by the Chief Secretary to examine the issue and submit recommendations and a roadmap for regularisation within six months.
He also cited Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s assurance in the Legislative Assembly on April 1, 2026, in response to a question by Kulgam MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, that the regularisation process would be initiated in phases during the current financial year.
The forum president said there was still no clarity over the committee’s report or a concrete mechanism for implementing regularisation, which, he said, had added to uncertainty among workers and their families.
The issue has gained renewed attention during the ongoing Assembly session. The government has separately informed the House that 1,00,501 casual and other daily-rated workers have been registered through Aadhaar-based biometric identification and skill profiling, while a committee constituted in March 2025 is examining the legal, financial and humanitarian aspects of regularisation.
Paray said the issue had wider social and humanitarian implications because of the large number of families dependent on these workers. He urged the government to engage with workers’ representatives and provide a definite timeline for resolving the matter.
The Forum also appealed to ruling and opposition legislators, religious scholars, serving and former trade union leaders, civil society organisations, senior citizens and other stakeholders to extend support to the protesting workers.
Paray further urged the Mufti Azam of Jammu and Kashmir and members of the wider religious community to raise the issue and highlight the concerns of the affected families.
The Forum claimed that several political leaders, religious personalities, civil society representatives and trade union leaders had contacted it and expressed their willingness to participate in the September 28 programme.
It appealed to casual and daily-wage workers from across Jammu and Kashmir to reach Srinagar early on September 28 and participate in what it described as a peaceful and democratic protest march.
The Forum reiterated that its principal demand was government engagement and a clear, time-bound roadmap for regularisation, and said it would continue to pursue the issue through peaceful means.
