Regularize daily wagers, casual labourers: Vakil

Excelsior Correspondent
SOPORE, Jan 21: Senior vice president of J&K Peoples Conference and former Minister Abdul Gani Vakil today visited several villages of Rafiabad and Sopore including Botingoo, Sher Colony, Drusoo, Tarzoowa and Bomai and interacted with several delegations of daily wagers and casual labourers.
Vakil expressed serious concern over the plight of daily wagers and casual labourers who have been working tirelessly to make essential services departments functional but nobody is ready to resolve their grievances.
Vakil stressed upon the LG’s Administration to take immediate steps to regularize daily wagers, casual labourers and other classes of appointees working in different departments on an adhoc and contractual basis. He said the LG. Administration needs to come up with a comprehensive plan to mitigate the sufferings of daily wage workers, casual labourers, Anganwari workers and helpers.
He said it is unfortunate that despite repeated assurances by the current LG administration and past Governments to regularize daily wagers and contractual employees, Anganwari and helpers no concrete policy decision has been made till today. It is the responsibility of the administration to rehabilitate them by restoring their livelihoods, as they are making their ends meet on daily earnings. Daily Wagers serve the people day and night, virtually making the departments functional, but it is unfortunate that these people have been left in the lurch.” Vakil added.
The former Minister further demanded an insurance policy for daily wagers, especially for those working in the Power Development Department and said that a number of daily wagers of PDD have lost their lives, and some became prey to having permanent injuries, while thousands are having minor to medium-scale injuries due to electric shocks received while performing their duties diligently, but it is unfortunate that there is no insurance policy or any Government scheme that can rehabilitate these affected families of daily wagers who are left with nothing.