Punjab govt urges Guv to clear ordinance on absorbing outsourced staff

The Punjab government has urged Governor Gulab Chand Kataria to approve an ordinance that entails a long-pending measure to end the exploitation of thousands of outsourced employees and pave the way for their direct contractual engagement with the state government.
The Punjab State Outsourced Personnel Transition to Contractual Engagement Ordinance, 2026, was approved by the state Cabinet on July 13, 2026.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said here on Saturday that the Bhagwant Mann-led state government has consistently prioritised employment generation and workers' welfare, and accused the previous Congress and Akali Dal-BJP regimes of "institutionalising contractor-based exploitation".
Cheema said, "The ordinance, which was approved by the Punjab Cabinet on July 13, 2026, will facilitate the transition of thousands of long-suffering outsourced workers -- including sanitation workers, sewer workers, and power board staff -- into direct contractual engagement with the state ...