NT Reporter
Panaji
A total of 1,734 employees are currently working on a contractual basis across 40 departments of the government of Goa, with several serving for more than two decades without regularisation, according to information tabled in the Goa Legislative Assembly.
The data, presented by the Department of Personnel on March 6, revealed that many individuals have been employed on temporary contracts for years without access to the benefits available to regular staff.
The healthcare sector has the highest number of contractual workers, with 563 employees serving at Goa Medical College and Hospital. The Electricity Department follows with 199 contractual employees.
Other departments with significant numbers of contractual staff include the Directorate of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (120), Directorate of Women and Child Development (116), Directorate of Education (95), Directorate of Agriculture (85) and the Office of the Commissioner of Labour and Employment (65).
Additional contractual employees are working in the Department of Tourism (38), Directorate of Fisheries (35), Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour (34), Registration Department (29) and the Directorate of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services (27). The Directorate of Education and the Directorate of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship are among the major users of long-term contractual employees. The data also highlighted the government’s reliance on temporary specialists in the healthcare sector, with several professionals at Goa Medical College continuing on contract for extended periods. While most contractual employees are entitled to paid leave, the majority are not provided with provident fund benefits, the Assembly reply stated.
