Chandigarh: Punjab State Scheduled Castes ( SC Commission ) Chairman Jasvir Singh Garhi chaired a special meeting at Punjab Bhawan to address concerns raised by Scheduled Caste (SC) employee organizations across the state regarding the implementation of constitutional safeguards and service-related issues.
Representatives from a majority of SC employee unions participated in the meeting and presented a series of demands before the Commission. A key issue raised was the need to reassess the reservation and representation policy in Punjab. The organizations pointed out that the current reservation framework is based on the 1971 Census and has not been reviewed for over five decades, despite the Scheduled Caste population in Punjab rising to over 38 percent. They urged the Commission to recommend a fresh evaluation of the policy in line with present demographic realities.
The employee leaders also highlighted concerns regarding the implementation of the 85th Constitutional Amendment, pending backlog recruitments of SC posts, and maintenance of proper roster registers. Additionally, they demanded the withdrawal of a letter issued on October 10, 2014, which they termed unconstitutional.
SC Commission Called Upon to Safeguard Rights of SC Employees
The organizations called upon the SC Commission to take prompt and concrete action to address these longstanding issues and ensure that constitutional rights and service safeguards for SC employees are effectively enforced.
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Another major issue discussed during the meeting was the regularization of contractual employees. The representatives requested the SC Commission to intervene and make efforts toward securing permanent status for eligible contractual staff members.
The meeting concluded with assurances that the concerns raised would be examined and taken up at the appropriate level for necessary action.