JAMMU, Oct 9: Sunil Dimple, president of Mission Statehood, has welcomed the reported decision of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to recommend a salary hike for Special Police Officers (SPOs) to the Finance Ministry, stating that the move would provide much-needed relief to personnel who have been serving under difficult conditions.
Addressing media persons at the Press Club in Jammu, Dimple said the proposed increase could take the monthly salary of SPOs to approximately ₹35,000. He said many SPOs had spent years serving in challenging circumstances and deserved better financial security. He also urged the government to consider promoting experienced and overage SPOs to the rank of constable, subject to the applicable rules and eligibility criteria.
Dimple also demanded a substantial increase in the salaries of Lambardars and Chowkidars, stating that many had reportedly been receiving only ₹1,500 per month for decades. He called for their regularisation and an increase in their monthly remuneration to ₹25,000, citing their longstanding contribution to village-level administration and public services.
Raising the issue of daily wagers and other temporary employees, Dimple urged the government to formulate a comprehensive policy for their permanent regularisation. He also demanded permanent employment for people who had donated land to the government and whose families, he said, had been waiting for employment opportunities for the past 25 to 30 years.
He called for immediate attention to the concerns of vocational trainers in the Education Department, Cluster Resource Coordinators (CRCs), seasonal teachers and Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) working in various departments. Dimple alleged that several categories of workers, including school ayahs, had not received their salaries for the past five months and demanded the immediate clearance of pending wages.
Expressing concern over unemployment in Jammu and Kashmir, Dimple alleged that recruitment delays and the failure of the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) and the Public Service Commission (PSC) to complete recruitment processes in a timely manner had contributed to growing frustration among job seekers.
He demanded that the selection process for police inspectors and Naib Tehsildars be started immediately, warning that his organisation would launch an agitation if the government failed to address the issue.
Dimple further sought regularisation and salary enhancement for a wide range of workers, including Kissan Khidmat Ghar (KKG) personnel, SPOs, Rehbar-e-Khel staff, physical education teachers, forest workers, Rehbar-e-Taleem and Rehbar-e-Sehat employees, National Youth Corps personnel, seasonal teachers, SRO-43 beneficiaries, CPW workers, Anganwadi workers, Ayushman Bharat health-card Mitras and paramedical staff.
He also called for relief for striking daily wagers and demanded that the concerns of land donors and other categories of temporary employees be addressed through clear and time-bound policy decisions.
Dimple maintained that the government should prioritise the timely payment of salaries, transparent recruitment, fair remuneration and job security for workers who have served public institutions for years. He urged the authorities to engage with employee representatives and take concrete steps to resolve their long-pending demands.