DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday announced an increase in the monthly salaries of over 1.19 lakh employees engaged through the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam Ltd (HKRNL).

Notably, the announcement comes when Haryana assembly polls are scheduled to be held later this year.

According to an official statement here, Saini has announced "a significant gift for the 1,19,861 employees of level 1, 2 and 3 categories engaged through the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam".

According to the announcement of the chief minister, the salaries of these employees would be hiked by 8 per cent with effect from July 1, the statement said.

According to its website, the HKRNL was incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013 on October 13, 2021. It has been set up with the objective of providing contractual manpower to all government entities in Haryana in a transparent, robust and equitable manner. It will act as the authorised agency for providing contractual manpower in Haryana.

The chief minister made this announcement on Monday during a meeting with various labour unions and HKRNL employees, the official statement said.

He said the employees have been engaged transparently under HKRNL.

"There are 71,012 employees in Level 1, 26,915 in Level 2, and 21,934 in Level 3," he said. He mentioned that reservation benefits have been given to Scheduled Caste and Backward Class youth among the employees hired under the Nigam.

Saini said during the Congress government's tenure, contractual employees hired under outsourcing policies were "exploited" and contractors denied EPF and other benefits. "Additionally, employees did not receive any benefits under labour fund schemes, and contractors could terminate these employees at will," he said.

The chief minister said the state government created a system and formed the HKRNL to protect the employees from exploitation.

Today, the employees are receiving timely salaries along with the benefits. Now, the required skilled manpower for any department or private establishment is supplied through the Nigam, he said.

Saini said during the previous Congress government's tenure, if an employee met with an accident, they allegedly did not receive any financial aid, while the present state government has created a Nigam and stands firmly with the employees to assist in any unfortunate incident.
(editor@dailyworld.in)