Strict directions issued to officials to resolve department-level demands on priority: Harpal Singh Cheema
Punjab News (16th April 2026): Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, chairing the Cabinet Sub-Committee on employee issues, held a series of high-level meetings with union representatives. He asserted that the CM Bhagwant Singh Mann led government is moving towards time-bound resolution of pending demands while directing officials to act on priority and ensuring a plan to deliver employees’ rightful dues without legal hurdles.
During a meeting at Punjab Bhawan with the representatives of the Theka Mulazam Sangharsh Morcha (Contract Employees Struggle Front), which was attended by senior officials from the Finance, Personnel, and other concerned departments, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema assured the delegation that their legitimate issues will be addressed soon. He said, “The Government is working on a plan to ensure that employees receive their rightful dues without facing any legal hurdles in the future.”
Prior to this, the Finance Minister engaged in extensive, two-hour-long meetings with leaders from several organizations, including the Daftri Karamchari Union (Office Employees Union), Democratic Teachers Front, 4161 Master Cadre Adhyapak Union, Meritorious Teachers Union, United Nurses Association, and the Medical Practitioners Association. For meetings concerning the Health and Family Welfare Department, Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh and Principal Secretary Kumar Rahul were also present.
Harpal Singh Cheema listened earnestly to the demands raised by the union representatives, apprising them that administrative actions were already underway. He issued strict directives to the concerned officials to resolve legitimate, department-level demands on a priority basis.
The meeting with the Theka Mulazam Sangharsh Morcha witnessed the presence of key administrative figures who briefed the Finance Minister on the status of demands related to their respective departments. The officials present included Secretary Labour Manvesh Singh Sidhu, Secretary Local Government Manjit Singh Brar, Special Secretary Local Government Deepti Uppal, Special Secretary Personnel Upkar Singh, Additional Secretary Personnel Gautam Jain, Special Secretary PWD Hargunjit Kaur, Special Secretary Finance Ajay Arora, and Special Secretary Water Supply and Sanitation Dr. Syed Sehrish Asgar, alongside other senior departmental officers.
Meanwhile, the Theka Mulazam Sangharsh Morcha was represented by Varinder Singh Momi, Jagroop Singh, Balihar Singh, Gurwinder Singh Pannu, Sher Singh Khanna, Simranjit Singh Neelon, Pawandeep Singh, Gurpreet Singh Dhillon, Ramandeep Singh, Harjinderpal Singh, Lachhman Singh, and Jagdeep Singh. Earlier, Daftri Mulazam Union was represented by Kuldeep Singh, Rajinder Singh Sandha, and Jagmohan Singh. Rajeev Kumar, Resham Khemuana, and Jagdish Kumar Jaggi represented the Democratic Teachers Front. Sandeep Singh Gill, Gurdas Singh Mansa, and Balkar Maghania represented the 4161 Master Cadre Adhyapak Union. The Meritorious Teachers Union was represented by Dr. Tina, Dr. Ajay Kumar, and Ashpreet Kaur. Ramanjit Singh Gill, Jagjeevan Singh, and Aarti Bala represented the United Nurses Association, while Dhanna Mal Goyal, H.S. Ranu, and Surjit Singh presented the concerns of the Medical Practitioners Association.
