Srinagar, April 12 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi must address grievances of casual and contractual labourers by making their jobs permanent during his upcoming visit to the on Territory, Jammu and Kashmir A i Party President Altaf Bukhari said on Tuesday. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Jammu and Kashmir on April 24 and this should be his main agenda to address the issue of these employees on humanitarian grounds,” Bukhari said during a press conference in here. He said these employees were part of Departments of Agriculture, Floriculture, Flood Irrigation, Food and Supplies, Forests, Rehbar-e-Kheel, Wildlife, Horticulture, Command Area, Tourism, Anganwari and Asha workers, who have been fighting for their rights for the past 12 years to become permanent. He alleged thy were being treated like “bonded labourers” and were not being paid their salaries. He alleged that the UT administration is breaking its own law of the Minimum Wages Act as sweepers working in government schools were being paid a monthly remuneration of just Rs 30. “I want to ask the government, who will come to their rescue, whom should these people complain against under the Minimum Wages Act,” he said and added “Do they file suit against Lieutenant Governor or Chief Secretary or against the heads of the departments where they are working as casual employees”. “If the Prime Minister will not address the issue then who will?” he said. This would be Modi’s first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of the Article 370 and 35A on August 5, 2019. Bukhari demanded that the services of these employees should be regularised within a time frame of 30 to 60 days and they should be paid all pending wages. He said “this is a humanitarian issue and can’t be delayed”. “If these employees were not regularised, the A i Party will lead them on streets on agitation,” Bhukari cautioned. He said Jammu and Kashmir has the highest unemployment rate in the country. The government must address the grievances and the aspirations of the youth at the earliest. He said the government should redress the human sufferings rather than announce crores of outside investments to be brought into the UT. QAB ING