S Gopal Puri
Shimla:
The Himachal Pradesh government has officially done away with its long-standing contract employment system and introduced a new Job Trainee Scheme for recruitment into Group A, B and C positions across all government departments, boards and grant-in-aid institutions.
Under the scheme, candidates will be appointed as job trainees for a period of two years and will have to pass a qualifying examination to be eligible for regularisation. While the government describes the scheme as a move toward transparent and professional governance, it has also triggered a wave of political backlash and concern among aspirants.
Pros: Structured, transparent, training-focused
One of the key strengths of the Job Trainee Scheme is its emphasis on merit-based recruitment. The selection of candidates will take place through open competitive examinations and their performance will be evaluated before regular appointments are granted. This aims to ensure transparency in the hiring process and curb favouritism and irregularities that often plague contract-based recruitments.
The two-year training period has been designed to equip selected candidates with role-specific knowledge, practical exposure and skill development, thereby creating a more professional and accountable workforce.
During the trainee phase, individuals will be given a fixed consolidated stipend, and while they are not considered full government employees, they will be entitled to travel allowances and health coverage under schemes like Himcare and Ayushman Bharat. The scheme also provides maternity leave, special leave and medical leave, which reflect efforts to balance employee welfare with administrative efficiency.
The scheme extends to various boards and corporations, thereby bringing uniformity across departments and helping build a structured employment ecosystem within the state government. It also replaces the ambiguity of contract employment with a clear pathway toward permanent employment, albeit with conditions.
Cons: No employee status, no full benefits
Despite the government’s projection of the scheme as a reformative measure, it has faced severe criticism for offering insecure and limited employment. Job trainees will not be treated as government employees during their two-year term and will be excluded from benefits such as pension, medical reimbursement, CCS and CCA rules and paid government holidays.
The lack of job security and uncertainty around regularisation after two years make the positions less stable than traditional government jobs.
Another major criticism revolves around the dual examination process — one to get selected as a trainee and another to qualify for permanent status. For many, this raises concerns about the fairness and mental burden on aspirants who already face tough competition. The financial limitations of the trainee period — fixed pay without dearness allowance or pay scale — also makes it economically challenging for young candidates, especially those from rural or marginalised backgrounds.
Opposition parties, especially the BJP, have labeled the scheme a betrayal of pre-election promises. BJP state president Dr Rajeev Bindal slammed the ruling Congress for failing to provide 58-year permanent jobs as promised and instead introducing what he termed a “trap to mislead unemployed youth”. He argued that the government was using new terminology to delay regular employment while removing most of the security and benefits attached to it.
The implementation framework also remains unclear, especially regarding who will handle recruitment and training in autonomous or semi-government bodies. Questions about the transition of existing contract employees and the handling of current recruitment processes that predate the February 2025 notification are yet to be addressed in full.
Reform with promise, but short on guarantees
While the Job Trainee Scheme promises to modernise the hiring and training process within Himachal’s public administration, it also appears to offload risk and responsibility onto the shoulders of young aspirants.
By eliminating contractual appointments and introducing a structured probationary phase, the government aims to build a more accountable and skilled workforce. However, the lack of guaranteed benefits, employee status and job stability makes the scheme appear more like a stopgap solution than a robust employment reform.
