CHANDIGARH: Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who also serves as Chairman of the Cabinet Sub-Committee constituted to resolve employees’ issues, on Tuesday directed the Health and Family Welfare Department to ensure the disbursement of a special incentive of ₹525 per vaccination session for contractual Multipurpose Health Workers, capped at a maximum of four sessions per month. Chairing a series of Cabinet Sub-Committee meetings to address employee grievances, the Finance Minister instructed concerned departments to expedite legitimate demands, service regularisation, and welfare issues across multiple employee unions.
During a meeting with representatives of the Contract Multipurpose Health Worker Union, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, “This measure will provide an additional up to ₹2,100 directly to the monthly income of these personnel.” He further instructed the department to forward their case regarding the regularisation of services to the concerned committee for review.
The union representatives expressed their gratitude to the Finance Minister for the incentive, as well as for the introduction of the Uniform Allowance and Tour Allowance. Meanwhile, Minister Harpal Singh Cheema held discussions with the Janglat Workers Union and the Punjab Pardesh Palledar Union. He directed the Forest Department to actively coordinate with the Personnel Department to address and resolve the legitimate demands of forest workers at the earliest. Additionally, he instructed the Food and Civil Supplies Department to address and amicably resolve all genuine concerns raised by the Palledar Union.
In a subsequent session, the Finance Minister met with representatives from various Power Department employee bodies, including the Powercom and Transco Theka Mulazam Union, the Outsourced Employees Federation, the Powercom Meter Reader Union Azad, the G.H.T.P Contractor Worker’s Union (AITUC), and Sanjha Manch Thermal Contract Worker Union Ropar. The delegation submitted a charter of demands urging the state government to bring all remaining employee categories under the regularisation policy.
