Maharashtra govt to scrap contractual recruitment order, says Devendra Fadnavis

Devendra Fadnavis/ File Photo

On Friday, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the revocation of a government order related to the recruitment of staff on a contractual basis. Fadnavis laid blame on the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government for their decision to adopt this method of workforce hiring. The move comes as opposition parties have been critiquing the Eknath Shinde administration over the issue of contractual recruitment, with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar arguing that this choice will limit opportunities for individuals from underprivileged communities.

Fadnavis, addressing a press conference, highlighted that the first instance of recruitment on a contractual basis occurred in 2003, during the tenure of the Congress-NCP government. He emphasized the current administration's reluctance to pursue this practice. He mentioned discussions held with Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, leading to a collective decision to annul the government resolution (GR) related to contractual hiring.

"We do not want this. They (the MVA government) have committed a sin and we are being blamed for it. I have discussed it with Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. We have decided to scrap the government resolution (GR) on contractual hiring," Fadnavis said.

According to Fadnavis, the choice to employ staff on a contract basis via nine empanelled agencies was made during the tenure of the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government. He expressed frustration that his administration was being held responsible for a policy instituted by its predecessors.

Meanwhile, the incumbent government came under fire after it issued an order to hire 3,000 personnel from its own security corporation to work under the Mumbai Police. The personnel drawn from Maharashtra State Security Corporation (MSSC) would be working under contract and assist the Mumbai police in select duties for a specific period of time.

NCP Chief Sharad Pawar targetted the government over the "security" of women and "contractual hiring" after the statement was out. He claimed that nearly 20,000 women were reported "missing" from the state from January 1 to May 31 this year. He opposed the decision saying that contractual hiring will not allow for reservation of Scheduled Castes, Schedule Tribes and Other Backward Classes and women aspirants will also be left out, he added.

With PTI inputs