Chandigarh, July 25, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Punjab Government has urged Governor Gulab Chand Kataria to immediately approve The Punjab State Outsourced Personnel Transition to Contractual Engagement Ordinance, 2026, saying the proposed legislation will help end the long-standing exploitation of thousands of outsourced employees by facilitating their transition to direct contractual engagement with government departments.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the ordinance, approved by the state Cabinet on July 13 under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, aims to bring eligible outsourced workers, including sanitation workers, sewer workers and power utility staff, under direct government contracts.
Expressing concern over the delay in approval, Cheema said the ordinance had been pending with the Raj Bhavan for 12 days and appealed to the Governor to grant assent without further delay so that relief could reach thousands of workers and their families.
The minister said the Aam Aadmi Party government had prioritised employment generation since assuming office, claiming that more than 66,000 government jobs had been provided in the past four years and five months. He also said additional recruitment drives would be undertaken during the remainder of the government’s tenure.
Cheema contrasted the AAP government’s employment record with previous Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP governments, alleging they had relied on contractor-based hiring systems that led to prolonged exploitation of workers.
He further said the state government had regularised and increased the salaries of nearly 13,000 teachers, raising their monthly pay from ₹6,000 to between ₹25,000 and ₹26,000, along with annual increments.
Reiterating his appeal, Cheema urged the Governor to approve the ordinance at the earliest, saying it would enable government departments to absorb eligible outsourced workers in accordance with the prescribed criteria.
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