The Punjab Cabinet on Tuesday gave nod to regularise the services of 14,417 contractual employees who have completed 10 years in service, officials said.

At a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann here, the Cabinet approved a 'Policy for the Welfare of Adhoc, Contractual, Daily Wages, Work Charged and Temporary employees', paving the way for regularising the services of 14,417 employees, said a spokesperson.

The spokesperson said the services of 13,000 other employees have already been regularised.

Appointments to 'Group C' and 'Group D' posts were made earlier on contract or temporary basis to meet imminent requirements and exigencies of service.

Some of these employees have now put in 10 years or more in the state government service, giving their prime years to the state, said the spokesperson, adding relieving them at this stage will be unjustified and improper.

"Thus, being a welfare state and to protect the interest of these contractual or temporary employees, the state has formulated the present policy, under Article 162 read with entry 41 of list-Il of the seventh schedule of Constitution of India, to ensure that such employees do not suffer from uncertainty and harassment and to grant them a security of tenure," said the spokesperson.

The state has taken a policy decision to continue such desirous suitable employees, who fulfill the eligibility conditions, in service till the age of 58 years by placing them in a special cadre, said the spokesperson.

The employees who have worked on ad hoc, contractual, daily wages, work charged or temporary basis for a continuous period of minimum 10 years till the issuance of present policy will be regularised, said the spokesperson.

The applicant must have the requisite qualification and experience for the post in terms of rules if any at the time of placement in the special cadre. The work and conduct of the applicant must have remained satisfactory as per the assessment of the department or employer during the period of 10 years service, said the spokesperson.

For calculating the period of ten years, the employee must have worked for a period of minimum 240 days in each of these calendar years and notional breaks will not be considered while calculating the duration, said the spokesperson.

For the purpose of grant of continuation to the contractual/ad-hoc/ temporary employees etc. and giving them security of tenure, subject to good work and conduct, till the age of 58 years, they will be placed on a post by creating special cadre of posts, said the spokesperson.

These employees will not be placed in the regular cadre of sanctioned posts in the service under the statutory service rules and will form a special cadre of posts created especially for them, said the spokesperson.

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