Charanjit Singh Channi, the state's chief minister, threatened to hold a sit-in against Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit on Saturday if the bill to regularise the employment of 36,000 contractual workers in the state was not passed.
At a news conference marking his 100th day in office, Chief Minister Channi said that Punjab Chief Secretary Anirudh Tewari had met with the governor twice to clarify the matter, but that no action had been done.
Channi said that he had also talked with Purohit about the situation in order to get the workers' services regularised, but to no avail.
“The governor is holding the file under pressure from the BJP-led central government. This is sheer politics. I will meet him again on Monday along with my cabinet colleagues and if he still does not clear the file, I’ll sit on dharna,” the CM stated.
In November, the Punjab cabinet agreed to regularise the services of the 36,000 contract workers.
The Punjab Protection and Regularisation of Contractual Employees Bill was delivered to the governor for his signature in the first week of December after it was passed.
College and university students may travel for free.
The chief minister also stated that college and university students would be able to travel for free starting Saturday, adding that they will be able to use the service by displaying their educational institutions' identification cards.
“The students can make the bus pass before March 31. By that time, they can avail this service using their identity cards,” Channi said.
He said that 25,000 units will be created and given to the economically disadvantaged at nominal prices.
“Whatever we have done in 100 days is more than what the previous dispensation (led by Capt Amarinder Singh) did in four-and-a-half years,” he further said.