Chandigarh
Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee President Rao Narender Singh launched a scathing attack on the BJP government over the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam (HKRN), alleging that the corporation, which was established in the name of providing employment to youth, dignity to employees and freedom from the contract system, has today become a means of temporary employment, insecurity and exploitation.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Rao Narender Singh said that after the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam was established in 2021 and began functioning in 2022, the government made tall claims. The government had promised “equal pay for equal work,” an end to the contract system and better facilities for employees, but the ground reality is completely different.
He said that in its 2024 election manifesto, the government claimed to provide around 1.20 lakh jobs, but the actual employment figures raise serious questions over these claims. By February 2026, around 14.63 lakh youth had registered with HKRN, while only 1.13 lakh people had been deployed. Of these, 97,051 were employees who were already working. Therefore, the actual number of new jobs being created is extremely low compared with the employment figures being projected by the government.
Rao Narender Singh said that the number of new deployments was only 7,367 in 2024, 1,034 in 2025 and just 66 so far in 2026. These figures clearly show that despite millions of registered youth, the government has completely failed to provide employment. He said that presenting the limited deployments in departments such as Public Health, Education and Health as large-scale employment generation is nothing more than misleading the youth.
HKRN office to be gheraoed on August 19
Rao Narender Singh announced that a massive dharna and protest would be held on August 19, 2026, outside the HKRN office in Sector 6, Chandigarh, near the Printing Press, under the ‘Yuvaon Ki Goonj’ campaign. Former minister Ashok Arora will be the convenor of the programme. Senior Congress leaders, MPs, MLAs, district and block presidents, along with a large number of employees and unemployed youth, will participate in the protest.
He said that just as Rahul Gandhi has strongly raised the voice of students and youth across the country, Haryana Congress will also continue its struggle for employment, dignity and social security for the state’s youth—from the streets to the Assembly. He also appealed to the media to give due prominence to this important issue concerning youth and employees.
Giving TGT appointments and then removing teachers is playing with the future of youth – Rao Narender Singh
Rao Narender Singh raised the issue of the recruitment of TGT teachers and said that if there was any error in the recruitment process conducted by the Haryana Public Service Commission, the candidates cannot be held responsible for it. Giving candidates appointments first and subsequently cancelling those appointments and removing them is completely unjust.
He said the government must clarify why thousands of candidates are being punished if the mistake occurred at the administrative level. The government should intervene immediately and ensure justice for the affected teachers.
Crime reports every morning; government has failed on law and order: Rao Narender Singh
The Pradesh Congress President also attacked the government over the law-and-order situation in Haryana. He said that frequent reports of crime have created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity among the people of the state. News of murders, violence and other serious criminal incidents is emerging almost every day.
He said the government must take concrete and effective steps to improve law and order, because ensuring that people can live in a safe environment is the first responsibility of any government.
Government must disclose how much has been collected through the 1% service charge and where it was spent: Aditya Surjewala
MLA Aditya Surjewala questioned the HKRN figures, saying that despite 14.63 lakh youth registering by February 2026, only 1.13 lakh people had been deployed. Even among them, 97,051 were already working employees. He said presenting the government’s claim of 1.20 lakh jobs as new employment is an attempt to conceal the reality.
He said HKRN employees are given only a “Deployment Letter” instead of permanent appointment letters. Employees work on contracts for years while remaining under constant threat of losing their jobs. Despite performing equal work, they do not receive the same security and facilities as permanent employees.
Aditya Surjewala asked the government how much money had been collected department-wise through the 1% service charge being charged from employees since 2022 and where it had been spent. He demanded that the government make a department-wise white paper public.
Remove the five-year condition and provide immediate job security to HKRN employees: Aditya Surjewala
He said that the Job Security of Service Bill was passed in November 2024, and at that time he had proposed an amendment to remove the condition requiring five years of service. A large number of temporary employees were regularised during the Congress government’s tenure. HKRN employees should also be provided job security on the same lines.
He said the government has repeatedly made tall claims about job security, but by May 2026, not a single HKRN employee had received the actual benefit of Job Security. He asked the government why the benefit had not reached employees if the law had already been enacted.
BJP dug a mountain and produced just one portal—and even that is hanging
Aditya Surjewala took a dig at the government’s online process, saying employees were initially asked to get their documents and papers verified in their respective departments. Later, the government created a portal, but its condition is such that the server is down in some places, login does not work in others, and OTPs are not being received elsewhere.
He said, “The BJP government is an expert at creating portals, but has completely failed to provide jobs to youth and security to employees. There is a saying—‘The mountain laboured and brought forth a mouse.’ But the BJP government dug a mountain and produced just one portal—and even that is hanging!”
He said HKRN employees do not need a cosmetic online process but respectable wages, permanent employment and genuine job security.
Congress’s key demands
Congress leaders demanded that the government:
End the contract system and implement a permanent employment system.
Issue permanent appointment letters instead of deployment letters.
Conduct regular recruitment against sanctioned posts and create permanent positions.
Release a department-wise white paper on the 1% service charge collected since 2022.
Regularise employees who have been working for a long period.
Make a transparent recruitment calendar, merit list and waiting list available online.
Ensure social security benefits including EPF, ESI, gratuity, accident insurance and health insurance.
Conduct an independent audit of “equal pay for equal work.”
End wage disparities and stop arbitrary termination.
Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee President Rao Narender Singh said that under the guidance of Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, the fight for the rights of HKRN employees and unemployed youth would continue through the ‘Yuvaon Ki Goonj’ campaign.
During the press conference, former Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana and Panchkula MLA Chander Mohan, Panchkula District Congress Committee President Sanjay Chauhan, former MLA Lahri Singh and Haryana Kisan Congress Department President Dharamvir Singh, among other leaders and workers, were present.
