In one of the Punjab government’s most significant employee welfare initiatives in recent years, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday announced the regularisation of 516 daily wage workers serving in the Forest Department, bringing long-awaited job security to employees who had spent years, and in several cases decades, working on temporary engagements.
At a ceremony held in Chandigarh, the Chief Minister personally handed over appointment letters to the newly regularised employees and simultaneously announced the restoration of long-pending promotions for 237 officers and staff members of the department. The move forms part of the state’s broader policy aimed at reducing contractual employment and strengthening the regular government workforce.
Addressing employees, senior officials and members of their families, Mann described the decision as a milestone in the government’s commitment to recognising the contribution of frontline workers who have served the state despite years of uncertainty over their employment status.
He said the regularised employees would now enjoy service security until the age of 58 years and would receive annual salary increments in accordance with government rules. The Chief Minister added that the decision reflects the government’s belief that employees who have dedicated their lives to public service deserve dignity, stability and equal opportunities.
Highlighting the challenges faced while implementing the policy, Mann said a number of workers had served the Forest Department for more than a decade but were technically ineligible for regularisation because they did not meet the prescribed educational qualifications or age criteria under the state’s Regularisation Policy, 2023. Recognising their long years of service, the Punjab Cabinet approved special relaxations, ensuring that no employee who had substantially contributed to the department was excluded from the benefits.
According to the Chief Minister, several of the workers being regularised had completed more than ten years of service, while others had remained daily wage employees for nearly twenty-five years. He said their dedication to protecting forests, preserving wildlife and maintaining Punjab’s green cover deserved formal recognition through permanent employment.
The latest announcement takes the total number of daily wage workers regularised in the Forest Department during the past four years to 1,458. During the same period, the department has also recruited 342 employees through regular appointments, reflecting what the government described as a sustained effort to strengthen the state’s environmental administration.
Mann also announced the restoration of promotions for 237 Forest Department officers and employees, resolving an issue that had remained pending for years. He said the decision would improve administrative efficiency while addressing long-standing grievances among departmental staff.
Reiterating his government’s larger employment agenda, the Chief Minister said Punjab has so far provided more than 68,000 government jobs through a transparent recruitment process based solely on merit. He maintained that appointments under the present administration have been made without political recommendations or financial influence, arguing that transparency has become the defining feature of the state’s recruitment process.
“The doors of government employment, which had virtually closed for the youth during previous administrations, have once again been opened,” Mann said, adding that the recruitment drive would continue as part of the government’s vision of creating greater opportunities for qualified young people.
He also emphasised that his government had moved away from the traditional contractual employment model by introducing policies designed to provide greater job security. Under the Regularisation Policy notified in 2023, eligible employees are entitled to continue in service until retirement at the age of 58, receive structured pay scales and annual increments, and enjoy protection of their existing salary wherever applicable.
Looking beyond personnel matters, the Chief Minister announced plans to renovate and revive several ageing forest rest houses across Punjab. He said these properties possess considerable tourism potential and could become an additional source of revenue for the Forest Department while supporting eco-tourism initiatives in the state.
Reflecting on his tenure, Mann said every administrative decision taken by his government has been guided by public interest and employee welfare. He asserted that governance should focus on improving people’s lives rather than creating administrative hurdles for those serving the state.
For many employees attending the ceremony, the announcement marked the end of years of uncertainty. Several workers shared that they had spent decades serving the department without the security associated with permanent government employment. They described the regularisation as a life-changing decision that would not only secure their own future but also provide long-term financial stability for their families.
Senior Cabinet Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, Forest Department Secretary K.K. Yadav and other senior officials were present during the ceremony.
The regularisation drive represents another step in the Punjab government’s effort to institutionalise employment security within the public sector. While the initiative directly benefits the employees concerned, it also signals a broader policy direction that places greater emphasis on workforce stability, transparent recruitment and administrative reform as the state seeks to strengthen public service delivery.
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