Punjab SC Commission Chair Holds Special Meeting with SC Employee Organizations

Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission Chairman, Mr. Jasvir Singh Garhi, convened a special meeting at Punjab Bhawan, Chandigarh, to address the concerns of SC employee organizations and the challenges they face in exercising their constitutional rights. Representatives from most of the Scheduled Caste employee organizations across the state participated in the meeting. During the discussions, they emphasized the need to re-evaluate Punjab’s reservation and representation policies, which were originally based on the 1971 census. The organizations pointed out that despite the passage of over 50 years and a significant increase in the Dalit population—now exceeding 38 percent—no review has been conducted. The representatives also highlighted issues regarding the implementation of the 85th Constitutional Amendment, the withdrawal of the letter issued on October 10, 2014, backlog recruitment of SC posts, and maintenance of roster registers. They urged the Commission to take prompt action to address these matters. Additionally, the employee organizations raised concerns about contractual employees in the state and called on the Commission to initiate measures for regularization of their services. Prominent attendees at the meeting included S. Jasvir Singh Pal, S. Avtar Singh Kainth, S. Amrik Singh Bangar, S. Krishan Singh, among others. The session concluded with a commitment to actively pursue solutions for the issues presented by the SC employee organizations.