The proposal to implement the “Rajasthan Contractual Hiring to Civil Post Rules, 2022” has been approved by the chief minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot, and will help around 1 lakh contract workers.
The regulations would guarantee openness and discrimination in hiring, workers’ preference if a position is regularised, a set honorarium, and an old pension system (OPS) benefit upon regularisation.
The contractual employees of the state’s various departments will be subject to these rules. More than 1.10 lakh contract workers will gain from the ruling since they will be subject to these regulations.
The choice was made during a crucial discussion that took place on Saturday night at the chief minister’s house.
A release from Gehlot’s office said that the contractual workers continued to play an important role in the implementation of various welfare and social security schemes of the central and various state governments, but their social security was not taken care of. In many states, their honorarium was not increased either. With this decision, the social security of over 1.10 lakh contractual workers of the state will be ensured.
These regulations will benefit 1,10,279 contractual employees, including 41,423 in the education department (including teachers, paraprofessionals, gramme panchayat assistants, and English medium teachers); 18,326 in the rural development and panchayati raj department (including Rajivika and MNREGA); 5,697 in the madarsa paraprofessional category; and 44,833 in the medical and health department and medical education department.
The Rajasthan Contractual Hiring to Civil Post Rules, 2022 state that individuals hired on a contract basis who have completed five years of service would be informed if their positions are regularised. After screening, they can be made permanent. Apart from the provision of special pay protection, the honorarium of these contractual employees has been determined by taking into account their comparable permanent post. These employees will receive OPS benefits as well after being regularised.
Several committees were occasionally constituted in the past to regularise contract employees, but their issues could not be permanently fixed. In the Budgets for 2021–22 and 2022–23, Gehlot announced the establishment of department-specific contractual worker cadres and a 20% increase in their wages and salaries.