SRINAGAR, March 29: In a significant move ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, Dr. Syed Darakhshan Andrabi, the Chairperson of the J&K Waqf Board, announced a major salary hike for the Consolidated, Muster Sheet-based, and Stop-Gap arrangement employees who have been working on minimal wages for decades. The decision aims to provide much-needed relief to these temporary employees, many of whom have been earning as little as Rs. 3,000 per month.
The revised remuneration for employees has been categorized into Skilled, Semi-Skilled, and Unskilled roles, with the new monthly salaries set at Rs. 18,000, Rs. 16,000, and Rs. 15,000, respectively. This translates into a 200% to 400% increase in their wages, a long-awaited uplift for these workers.
Additionally, regular employees of the Waqf Board, including Imaams, Khateebs, Pensioners, and Family Pensioners, will benefit from a 20% salary increase. The teaching faculty at the Waqf-managed Bibi Halima College of Nursing and Medical Technology will also see a 15% salary hike.
Special allowances have been introduced for employees assigned additional duties, and staff in the Engineering Wing will receive a monthly travel allowance of Rs. 3,000.
This salary hike follows the efforts of the current Board leadership to strengthen the financial position of the Waqf Board, ensuring improved living conditions for over a thousand employees across the Kashmir Division. Dr. Andrabi and Board members Dr. Ghulam Nabi Haleem and Syed Mohammed Hussain, along with Executive Magistrate Ishtiyaq Mohiuddin, finalized the decision during a Board meeting.
