Breaking: Punjab Govt regularizes 516 Forest dept workers; CM Mann says contract system will be phased out
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, July 13, 2026: The Punjab Government on Monday regularised the services of 516 contractual and daily-wage employees of the Forest Department, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann handing over appointment letters during a special function and reiterating his government’s commitment to ending the contract employment system.
The employees who were regularised include drivers, beldars and other Class IV staff who had been serving the department for several years.
Congratulating the employees and their families, Mann said more than 500 workers had officially become part of the Punjab Government workforce. He said the move would provide long-awaited job security to employees who had spent years working under uncertain conditions.
The Chief Minister said contractual employees had lived with constant anxiety over their future, including concerns about retirement benefits, pensions and financial security for their families. He added that regularisation would now remove those uncertainties.
Mann said that when the proposal came before the state Cabinet, the government decided to grant relaxation in educational qualifications and upper age limits for eligible employees, noting that many had already served the department for 10, 15 or even 20 years and would otherwise have become ineligible under standard recruitment norms.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Minister remarked that while temporary housing and makeshift structures have largely disappeared, it was unfortunate that previous governments had continued to keep employees on temporary appointments for years.
He also announced that the drive to regularise employees would continue in other government departments.
Launching a sharp attack on the outsourcing and contract employment system, Mann alleged that contractors received full payments from the government but failed to pass on the complete salaries to workers. He claimed that many employees were forced to sign for full wages while receiving significantly less, were denied leave and could be dismissed without notice.
“The exploitation of workers through the contract system will not be tolerated,” Mann said, adding that the state government is committed to gradually ending the contractual employment model and ensuring greater job security for its workforce.
The regularisation of the 516 Forest Department employees is part of the Punjab Government’s ongoing initiative to provide permanent employment to eligible contractual and daily-wage workers across various departments.