Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
Punjab government has urged Governor Gulab Chand Kataria to immediately approve the Punjab State Outsourced Personnel Transition to Contractual Engagement Ordinance, 2026, stating that the long-pending measure will end the exploitation of thousands of outsourced employees and pave the way for their direct contractual engagement with the state government.
Addressing a press conference, Punjab Finance Minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Harpal Singh Cheema said the Bhagwant Mann-led government has consistently prioritized employment generation and employee welfare, unlike previous Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP governments, which he alleged promoted exploitation through the outsourcing system.
Cheema said the ordinance, approved by the Punjab Cabinet on July 13, 2026, will allow eligible outsourced workers—including sanitation workers, sewermen, and PSPCL staff—to be directly contracted by government departments, eliminating the role of third-party contractors.
Expressing concern over what he described as a 12-day delay in the file's clearance at Raj Bhavan, the finance minister appealed to the Governor to sign the ordinance without further delay so that thousands of employees and their families can receive immediate relief.
Reiterating the government's commitment to employment and preventing youth migration, Cheema said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann began his tenure in March 2022 by promising 30,000 government jobs in his first Cabinet meeting.
He claimed that the government has since provided more than 66,000 government jobs in four years and five months, with additional recruitment drives planned in the remaining tenure.
Highlighting reforms in the education sector, Cheema said the government has regularized the services of nearly 13,000 teachers who had been protesting for years. He added that their salaries were increased from around ₹6,000 to ₹25,000–₹26,000 per month, along with annual increments.
Criticizing the outsourcing model introduced by previous governments, Cheema said many employees have worked through contractors for five to eleven years, facing financial and professional exploitation. Once the ordinance receives the Governor's approval, eligible outsourced workers will be engaged directly by government departments based on prescribed criteria, he said.
Finance minister concluded by reiterating the Punjab government's commitment to protecting the dignity and rights of workers and again appealed to the Governor to approve the ordinance at the earliest to improve the lives of thousands of essential service employees across the state.
