Delhi Government to shift from Contractual to Permanent Employment

The Delhi government has instructed all its departments to furnish details regarding their contractual and outsourced staff and develop a plan to transition these roles to permanent positions through recruitment. A directive issued to department heads, local authorities, public sector entities, boards, universities, and technical institutions by the services department requests information on temporary staff occupying various roles. Approximately 22,000 such positions are slated for conversion to permanent status over the next few years, officials disclosed.

"We've tasked department heads with overseeing the collection of data from the district, branch offices, hospitals, and clinics, ensuring its scrutiny, formatting it as per the provided template, and promptly sharing it with the services department," stated a senior official from the Delhi government.

"Our aim is to replace temporary and contractual personnel through a rigorous recruitment process. Even those currently engaged as outsourced employees will be given the chance to partake in this process," the official affirmed.

In the past eighteen months, the Delhi government has already filled over 22,000 permanent positions across various departments and agencies. Notably, between May 2022 and May 2023, the education department alone filled 15,367 roles, while the NDMC, with central government support, recruited approximately 4,500 individuals. Additionally, 324 principal and vice-principal positions were filled through the UPSC. Moreover, around 500 positions in the Delhi Fire Service, about 50 posts in the Forensic Science Laboratory, as well as roles within the DTC and labor department have been filled.

An official from Raj Niwas emphasized Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena's advocacy for permanent appointments over ad hoc and contractual recruitment, citing the adverse effects of the latter, such as favoritism, corruption, and exploitation of deserving citizens seeking employment opportunities.

Meanwhile, a services department representative highlighted the efforts of the Delhi Subordinate Staff Selection Board to streamline the recruitment process, leading to the timely conduct of exams and a significant reduction in result declaration time—from 12 months to 6-8 months.