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JAMMU : Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday announced to constitute a committee under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo to devise a roadmap for the regularization of daily-rated wagers.
Replying to the discussion on Budget 2025, the Chief Minister said, “Through this House, I am announcing the formation of a committee under the Chief Secretary, with the Additional Chief Secretary to the CM, Commissioner Secretary GAD, Planning Secretary, and Law Secretary. Within six months, we will finalize a framework, determine the exact number of daily wagers, and legally and financially assess how they can be regularized. Then, the policy will be discussed here in the next budget.”
Speaking about the plight of daily wagers, the Chief Minister emphasized that this is not merely a financial issue but a humanitarian and social concern. Referring to the use of force against protesting daily wagers in Srinagar and Jammu, he remarked, “What happened to them yesterday, I do not want to repeat. But I must ask—why did the situation reach this stage?”
He recalled that during his previous tenure as Chief Minister, his government had initiated a framework for regularizing daily wagers. However, he noted that the 2014 elections and the devastating floods had disrupted these plans. Taking a dig at the opposition, he questioned their inaction, stating, “What did you (the opposition) do? I reviewed past budget speeches from your tenure and found no mention of daily wagers except in the fourth budget speech, where you vaguely spoke about ‘sustainable livelihood’.” He further pointed out that even after the issuance of SRO-520, only 577 daily wagers were regularized.
Challenges in Regularization
The Chief Minister highlighted that, over the past decade, opposition which were in power then failed to address the issue, despite having both state and central authority. He accused them of prioritizing the 7th Pay Commission over the regularization of daily wagers, making the situation more complicated.
“Then came the J&K Reorganization Act, which effectively shut the door on their regularization. Now, we must reopen this issue. But in these years, their numbers have changed, making it difficult to determine an accurate count,” he said. The government must start from the scratch to resolve their concerns, he said.
Budget 2025: A Realistic approach, not pessimistic
Addressing criticism that his budget speech was pessimistic, the Chief Minister clarified that it was, in fact, realistic. “Some members termed the beginning of my budget speech as pessimistic. I believe it was not pessimistic; it was realistic.
I told the truth—I said my whole body has wounds. Pessimism would have been if I had said, ‘The body has so many wounds, death would be inevitable.’” Instead, he explained, “I said, ‘The body has so many wounds, and I don’t even have enough balm for them.’ This is not pessimism; this is our reality.”
He stressed the financial constraints facing the Union Territory, adding, “Do I have enough money to take all the power projects into my hands and start working on them? No. Can I provide free electricity to all the people? No. In today’s age, we don’t even have the budget to ensure 24-hour electricity for Jammu and Kashmir. We are forced to buy electricity. We have worked on increasing social benefits for the poor. But is this truly enough to meet their needs? No.”
Fiscal responsibility and future growth
Quoting an English saying, “Cut your coat according to your cloth,” the C
hief Minister explained the necessity of managing within available resources. “My words were not pessimistic; they were realistic. I presented the truth. We don’t have enough money, but we have prioritized welfare measures that will have a meaningful impact on the people.”
He acknowledged that the budget would not yield instant results but assured that long-term growth had been set in motion. “This budget serves as our foundation. Over the next five years, we will build a strong and prosperous Jammu and Kashmir.”
Opposition’s response and criticism
Responding to the opposition, particularly BJP members, the Chief Minister remarked that instead of focusing on the budget, their speeches were centered around Article 370, Maharaja Ji, and July 13.
“Initially, I thought his speech had substance, but in reality, there was nothing related to the budget,” he said, referring to a BJP legislator’s remarks.
A ‘Love Letter’ to the People of J&K
Addressing the interpretation of his budget speech, Omar Abdullah reiterated, “My budget speech is a love letter—to the BJP, to the PC, to the PDP, to the AIP, to Congress, to the CPI(M), to independent MLAs, and, above all, to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Why do we write love letters? To express love. And do we not love those who are in need? Through this budget, we have tried to extend that love by addressing their challenges and aspirations.”
“I am not ashamed to call it a love letter. In fact, for the next five years, we will continue writing such love letters—letters of commitment, of progress and of transformation for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”
Acknowledging Central Government support
Responding to criticism about acknowledging financial support from the Centre, the Chief Minister stated, “The central government has extended financial support to us. Should I be ashamed to admit it? No, I will not. The reality is that we are not yet self-sufficient. We are not financially independent. That is our challenge. And that is precisely what we must work toward.” He stressed that Jammu and Kashmir had always relied on central funds, but the goal was to achieve financial self-reliance in the long run. “This is not a new struggle. Our past budgets reflect the same reality. But we aspire for more. We aim for a future where Jammu and Kashmir stands on its own feet.” To achieve this, the government has focused on developing new tourism destinations, industrial estates, and encouraging start-ups and entrepreneurship.
Centrally Sponsored Schemes: A reality check
Dispelling the misconception that Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) are fully funded by the Government of India, the Chief Minister explained that the UT also contributes significantly. He cited the PM Golden Card, which covers only BPL families under central funding, while the remaining 18 lakh families are supported by the UT. Similarly, under the National Social Assistance Program, 1.43 lakh BPL families receive pensions from central funds, but 8 lakh additional pensioners are covered by the UT’s own resources. “These are not mere figures; they represent our responsibility toward our people.”
The Chief Minister emphasized that after years of struggle, the budget of Jammu and Kashmir was finally being discussed within J&K itself, instead of just being passed in Parliament. “This is an achievement in itself. Some may argue that we still do not have a government of our own. But let me remind them—this budget is for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and it is being debated where it truly belongs.”
Restoring people’s dignity and empowerment
He concluded by reaffirming his government’s commitment to restoring dignity, empowerment, and self-reliance for the people. “Some may see these initiatives as mere drops in the ocean, but history has shown that even the mightiest oceans are formed by countless drops.
With these small but meaningful steps, InshaAllah, in five years, we will restore the dignity of our people and build a financially self-sufficient Jammu and Kashmir.” “This is our vision. This is our commitment. This is our love letter to our people.”
Earlier, MLAs Qayser Jamsheed Lone, Showkat Hussain Ganie, Javed Iqbal Choudhary, Shagun Parihar, Abdul Majeed Larmi, Rafiq Ahmad Naik, Shabir Ahmad Kullay, Sajad Lone, Zafar Ali Khatana, Baldev Raj Sharma, Saif Ud Din Bhat spoke on the budgetary provisions on Tuesday and also put forth their views and suggestions.
