Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
The Punjab Cabinet has approved a major employment reform aimed at ending the outsourcing system for Group C and Group D government jobs and regularizing thousands of contract workers across the state.
Announcing the decision after a cabinet meeting on Friday, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the move would benefit around 68,000 outsourced employees working in 51 government departments. The government plans to shift these workers from outsourced arrangements to government contracts before granting them regular status.
The cabinet has also approved an ordinance to abolish the contractor-based hiring system for these categories of jobs. The ordinance will be sent to the Governor for approval and later introduced as a bill in the Punjab Assembly.
Under the new framework, employees engaged in hazardous duties such as firemen, linemen, sewer workers, and grievance redressal staff will become eligible for government contracts after completing three years of service. Non-hazardous workers with at least five years of service will be covered in the first phase of implementation.
Mann said salaries of covered employees will be deposited directly into their bank accounts, eliminating the role of private contractors and agencies. He added that the government is preparing the Punjab Outsource Personnel Bill, 2026, to provide a legal framework for bringing long-serving outsourced employees into the direct recruitment system.
The Chief Minister also assured that no employee would be removed without prior notice and said the legislation would provide stronger job security than previous policy-based measures.
Looking ahead, the government said all future recruitment for Group C and Group D posts will be carried out through regular government hiring processes. Officials noted that around 65,000 people have already been recruited through regular appointments in Punjab over the past four years.
