Chandigarh, August 22 — Haryana Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Sh. Krishan Kumar Bedi said that the state government has agreed to 13 of the 14 demands raised by the Haryana Nagar Palika Karamchari Sangh. Importantly, legal opinion is being sought on the demand for regularisation of employees. Further action on this demand will be taken as soon as the legal opinion is received.

Minister Sh. Krishan Kumar Bedi was speaking to journalists after a meeting held at the Gymkhana Club in Kurukshetra on Saturday. Earlier, Sh. Bedi held detailed discussions in a cordial atmosphere with the 10-member committee of the Sangh along with the Haryana Fire Services Employees Union on all their demands and issues. He said that the office-bearers of the union would soon be facilitated to hold discussions with Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini.

Speaking to the media, Sh. Bedi said that Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini had assigned him the responsibility of holding discussions with the union representatives. He said that he had held discussions with the union representatives today and had also met them earlier on August 5.

He said that the union had placed 14 demands before the government, of which the government had agreed to 13. Regarding the demand for regularisation of employees, he said that legal opinion was being sought to ensure compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court and the High Court. After receiving the legal opinion, the government would take further action on the matter with seriousness.

He further said that a meeting between the union representatives and Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini would be arranged soon.

Chandigarh, August 22 — Haryana Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini said that Punjab’s politics is passing through a phase where a deep conflict appears to be emerging between power, stability and public interest. Referring to the recent developments, he said political instability in the state is increasing.

He said Punjab today needs a double-engine government that not only makes promises but also has the ability to fulfil them. The state needs leadership that is not afraid to take decisions, puts the interests of the people above everything else and works in the national interest. All this is possible under the leadership of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi. If the Bharatiya Janata Party forms the government in Punjab, it will work towards building a Viksit Punjab on the lines of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi’s vision of a Viksit Bharat.

Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini was addressing a programme organised for representatives of the Valmiki and Sikh communities of Punjab at his official residence, Sant Kabir Kutir, in Chandigarh on Saturday.

On the occasion, Sh. Randeep Singh Gill, Vice Chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Congress SC Wing and National Chairman of All India Akhil Valmiki Dharam Samaj, from the Attari Assembly constituency of Punjab, joined the Punjab BJP along with dozens of workers after leaving the Congress. The Chief Minister welcomed all of them into the party and assured them that they would be given full respect and honour in the party.

The Chief Minister said that the BJP has already fulfilled 70 of the 217 commitments made in its Haryana Assembly election manifesto within just 18 months. He said the government has provided government jobs to youth without parchi and kharchi, while in Punjab, youth are facing discrimination in the name of employment.

Chief Minister Sh. Saini said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi, the country has witnessed unprecedented progress. Revolutionary changes have taken place in road and rail connectivity, while a record number of new medical colleges, universities, IITs and IIMs have been established.

Highlighting Haryana’s progress, he said medical colleges have already been started in 17 of the state’s 23 districts.

Emphasising the bright future of the youth, the Chief Minister said the Haryana Government has launched a comprehensive campaign to protect young people from the menace of drugs. Strict action is being taken against drug peddlers. While, due to the Punjab Government’s neglect, the youth there are increasingly falling prey to drugs, Haryana has established 2,000 sports nurseries to connect young people with sports, where lakhs of youth practise every day.

He said the results of this sports policy are evident in the achievements of Haryana’s young men and women at the recently held Commonwealth Games. It is a matter of pride that out of the seven gold medals won by India, five were secured by daughters of Haryana, bringing laurels to the country and the state on the global stage.

Haryana Chief Minister’s OSD Sh. Bharat Bhushan Bharti, Sh. Raj Kumar Valmiki and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.

Chandigarh, August 22: The Haryana Government has expressed sympathy and consideration towards the demands of sanitation workers and fire service employees and has given in-principle approval to most of their demands.

In this regard, the Municipal Employees’ Union, Haryana, and the Fire Employees’ Union have been informed that the government has agreed in principle to their demands, which mainly include:

Uniform allowance: ₹440 per month, to be paid along with salary.

Equal pay for equal work and arrears: Payment has already been made to eligible employees.

LTC benefit: The benefit is being provided.

Minimum wages: In-principle approval to pay minimum wages as determined under the Minimum Wages Act.

Employees’ State Insurance (ESI): In-principle approval to extend the benefit to eligible employees.

Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF): In-principle approval to extend the benefit to eligible employees.

Risk allowance: In-principle approval to provide ₹2,000 per month risk allowance to sanitation workers.

Compassionate assistance: In-principle approval to increase the amount from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh.

Accident insurance: In-principle approval for ₹50 lakh in case of death and ₹25 lakh in case of permanent disability.

PM-JAY: In-principle approval to include eligible employees working on municipal rolls and their daily-wage workers under the scheme.

Leave: In-principle approval for 20 days of earned leave and 20 days of casual leave.

Promotion: In-principle approval for providing a provision for promotion of sanitation workers and sewer-men to clerical (Group-C) posts.

The main issue under discussion is the regularisation of sanitation workers and fire service employees working on municipal rolls. The government is seeking legal opinion on the matter.

The government is prepared to bring these employees under the ambit of the Haryana Contractual Employees (Service Security) Act, 2024, so that they can receive benefits at par with regular employees. The government is also prepared to ensure job security up to the age of 60 years for these employees.

Going a step further, the government is also considering providing an additional 15 per cent amount over and above the minimum salary applicable to these employees. At present, sanitation workers working on municipal rolls receive ₹19,000 per month, which the government has considered increasing to ₹21,000 per month.

Under the Haryana Contractual Employees (Service Security) Act, 2024, the government has also agreed in principle to extend several other benefits to these employees, including annual salary increments, death-cum-retirement gratuity, maternity leave, and ex-gratia financial assistance and ex-gratia appointment under H.K.R.N., among other benefits, broadly equivalent to those available to regular employees.

Thus, the government has, in principle, accepted almost all the demands raised by the sanitation and fire service employees’ unions.

However, due to the continued insistence of sanitation workers, not only is the sanitation system being affected, but the general public is also facing inconvenience.

Government employees going on strike does not mean that they can prevent other employees who are willing to perform sanitation duties from doing so. Such action is unlawful. In such a situation, apart from taking action against employees who violate the law, the government has no other option.

Therefore, if any employee takes the law into their own hands, legal action will be taken against them strictly in accordance with the rules.

Chandigarh

The Sirsa MP, Former Union Minister, General Secretary of All India Congress Committee and CWC member Kumari Selja accused the BJP-led Centre of mishandling sugar supply and demand, alleging that rising prices and declining stocks were the result of flawed policy decisions and weak management.

In a statement, Kumari Selja said the government should have anticipated pressure on domestic sugar supplies and formulated a policy keeping future consumption in mind. Instead, she alleged, sugar exports continued while a significant portion of sugarcane was diverted towards ethanol production, putting additional pressure on domestic availability.

Kumari Selja said reports indicated that sugar prices had risen by nearly 40% over the past three months, while prices of several other essential food items had also increased. She said the rising cost of basic commodities was putting additional pressure on household budgets, particularly for poor and middle-class families.

According to Kumari Selja reports suggested that the opening stock with sugar mills could be substantially lower than last year. She said the situation had reportedly reached a point where the government might have to consider duty-free imports of around one million tonnes of raw sugar to meet domestic requirements. “If the country has to depend on imported sugar to meet its domestic demand after years of being a major sugar producer, serious questions arise over supply management and policy planning,” she said.

Kumari Selja said the government’s ethanol-blending policy was aimed at reducing petroleum imports and saving foreign exchange, but domestic sugar availability and prices should not have been compromised in pursuit of that objective. She also urged the Centre to address consumer concerns regarding vehicle compatibility and mileage associated with higher ethanol blending through clear and factual information.

Kumari Selja demanded that the government make public data on sugar production, stocks, domestic consumption, exports and the quantity of sugarcane being diverted for ethanol production. She called for a long-term policy that ensured remunerative returns to sugarcane farmers, balanced ethanol production and affordable sugar for consumers.

:-The ‘Removing eligible voters’ names in SIR exercise an attack on democratic rights’:-Kumari Selja

On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttarakhand, Kumari Selja alleged that removing the names of eligible voters without due process amounted to an attack on their democratic rights.

She criticised the reported stopping of Congress leaders who had gone to submit a memorandum to the Election Commission, saying the constitutional body must function independently, transparently and impartially. Kumari Selja demanded a transparent SIR process, a fair review of deleted names and restoration of eligible voters’ names wherever they had been wrongly removed.

Chandigarh, August 20: Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda stated that the BJP government is exploiting the youth through the HKRN (Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam). Therefore, the Congress demands that all HKRN employees be regularized and granted the same pay scales, Dearness Allowance (DA), promotion avenues, reservation benefits, and retirement benefits as permanent employees.

Hooda said the system operating under the Kaushal Nigam is not only exploitative but also unconstitutional. The Congress will also meet the Governor to submit a memorandum regarding this issue.

Commenting on the plight of the ‘Kaushal’ (skill-based) workers, Hooda remarked that they are neither truly unemployed nor do they hold standard salaried positions, the youth have been reduced to daily wagers. “Educated young people are left helpless and are facing repeated exploitation. The practice of deploying youth under the HKRN system and jeopardizing their futures must stop. Young people need dignified salaries and regular employment, not mere daily wages,” he said.

“Article 16 of the Constitution guarantees equal opportunity in employment. Why, then, is a permanent employee paid ₹80,000 for the same work while an HKRN employee receives only ₹20,000? Equal pay for equal work and the right to permanent employment are the entitlements of the youth. The HKRN system should be abolished by absorbing all employees into permanent roles, and transparent, regular recruitment should be conducted for sanctioned posts,” he questioned.

Addressing a press conference at his residence, Hooda noted that the Congress had organized a massive protest in Panchkula in support of these skill-based workers. “Despite rain and inclement weather, a large number of people participated, and the protest garnered support from contractual employees across the state,” he stated.

He stated that a movement by contractual employees is underway across the state. He added that piles of garbage have accumulated throughout the state because the government has ignored the demands of sanitation workers. “During the Congress government’s tenure, 11,000 rural and 14,000 urban sanitation workers were appointed; however, the BJP government has not regularized their employment to date,” he said.

Responding to questions from journalists, he stated that Abhay Chautala had made a false statement against him, and said he intended to drag the INLD leader to court by filing both criminal and civil cases, as Chautala had made two false claims: one regarding a meeting with Amit Shah and the other concerning a partnership in a private company. He clarified that he had neither met Amit Shah nor had any connection with that company.

Responding to the BJP’s remarks on the Congress party’s sports policy, Bhupinder Singh Hooda stated that the policy implemented during the Congress government’s tenure continues to be praised across the country and the world. “This was because, for the first time the Congress government directly appointed 17 medal-winning athletes as DSPs, not just in the country but globally,” he said.

Furthermore, the Congress government formulated a policy offering the world’s highest cash rewards of up to ₹5 crore to medal-winning athletes. They also launched the ‘SPAT’ games competition for 20 lakh children to nurture talent starting at the school level and introduced diet allowances for young athletes at the school and academy levels.

“The result of these initiatives was that out of the 38 gold medals the country won at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, athletes from Haryana alone secured 22,” he stated.

Speaking on the Commonwealth Games, Hooda extended his heartfelt congratulations to all the medal-winning athletes. He also expressed satisfaction that the results of the sports policy, infrastructure strengthening, and sports academies established during the Congress government’s tenure are still evident years later. However, he noted that the BJP government had altered the Congress-era sports policy, thereby depriving athletes of their rewards, recognition, and appointments.

Meanwhile, MLA Bharat Bhushan Batra mentioned that the Congress party had submitted its grievances regarding the state’s SIR (Special Investment Region) policy to the Election Commission and had requested an additional month for the SIR process.