The Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday took several significant decisions, including giving approval to concessional student passes aboard public-run buses, including air-conditioned ones, an amendment to a rule to increase the disengagement age of Home Guards to 60 years and prohibiting contractors from disengaging contract labourers working on ongoing projects.
The decisions were taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal here. Terming it a ‘gift’ to the students of the Capital, the government said in a statement that concessional passes will be allowed on AC buses being operated by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) as well as buses running under the cluster scheme.
Even as government sources claimed the facility to apply for such passes was scheduled to be offered online in the coming days, students will be able to avail free travel on AC buses, apart from other buses, at passes priced at ₹100.
“These passes shall be available to bona fide students of educational institutions in Delhi, recognised by universities set up in Delhi by the Act of Parliaments, Central government, Delhi administration and municipal corporations of Delhi, and mentally challenged students who are receiving guidance in the institutes run by the government, Delhi administration, local bodies or by societies aided by the government,” the statement said.
Retain 80% workers
In another decision, the Cabinet passed a proposal protecting contract labourers from total disengagement on change of contractors on a fresh cycle of contract. “The Delhi government gives out service or manpower contracts for various services. The contractor hires its own manpower. However, when the contract period gets over and if the contractor gets changed, fresh manpower is brought by the new contractor and the earlier ones are removed,” the statement said.
Stating that this caused “huge untold miseries to these poor people” the Cabinet resolved that new contractors will “keep a minimum of 80% of earlier manpower”.
“If the new contractor, however, plans to reduce the manpower due to mechanisation or any other reasons, then he shall accommodate at least 80% of the new strength from the existing manpower...The Delhi government is of the view that such labourers should not be rendered jobless because the contractor has changed and thus this decision has been taken,” the statement said.
The decision will also stop the practice of new contractors charging money from labourers to re-engage them given the clause mandating new contractors to absorb 80% of the existing labour from the last contract.
The Cabinet also amended the Home Guards Rules, 2008, to approve an increase in the disengagement age of Home Guards to 60 years.
On Home Guards
The present age of their disengagement or discharge, the government said, was 50 years, leading to the early departure of many Home Guards from 2008 onwards. “The Home Guards, who were disengaged due to the 50-year norm, will be given a choice to get back to the Home Guard if they wish to join back,” the statement said.
Presently, against a sanctioned strength of 10,285, the number of Home Guards stands at 4,390 who are available on rolls, the government said. “One of the major reasons for less number of Home Guards being the reduction of their disengagement/discharge age from 60 years to 50 years, which led to the early departure of many Home Guards from 2008 onwards,” the statement said.
The Delhi government, the statement added, had also decided, in-principle, to hire 6,000 new Home Guards; the proposal will soon be moved to the Cabinet for its approval.
