Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
Punjab Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Tuesday announced a major relief package for sanitation workers across the state, stating that the Bhagwant Mann-led government has taken a significant decision in favour of Safai Karamcharis working in municipal corporations and municipal councils.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Bains said that sanitation workers who have completed three years of service in any Municipal Corporation or Municipal Council in Punjab will be regularised. He described the move as a step toward providing job security and dignity to thousands of workers serving in urban local bodies.
Minister further announced that the salaries of contractual sanitation workers whose services have been regularised or brought under a permanent arrangement will be doubled. According to the government’s announcement, the monthly pay of sanitation staff has been increased substantially, bringing it closer to the salary structure of regular employees. Recent government decisions have raised the monthly wage from ₹10,500 to ₹20,500 for contractual sanitation workers engaged by urban local bodies.
Bains said the decision reflects Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s commitment to the welfare of sanitation workers, whom he called the backbone of Punjab’s cities. The announcement comes amid ongoing discussions with sanitation workers’ unions over demands related to regularisation, salary enhancement, and employment security.
Punjab government has also indicated that it is working on a broader framework to address long-pending issues concerning sanitation workers employed through contractual and outsourced arrangements in municipal bodies.
