Lucknow, September 2 (TNA) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday launched the Uttar Pradesh Outsource Services Corporation (UPOCS), aimed at creating a transparent, technology-driven system for the recruitment, attendance, payment and grievance redressal of outsourced employees across the state.
At an event held at Lok Bhawan, the Chief Minister also launched the corporation’s website and digital portal, unveiled its logo and handed over representative cheques to outsourced workers. An MoU between the Uttar Pradesh Outsource Services Corporation and the State Bank of India was also exchanged in his presence.
The corporation is expected to cover more than three lakh outsourced workers and benefit an estimated 17 to 20 lakh family members. The government said the initiative seeks to transform the outsourced workforce into an “organised, skilled, secure and dignified” workforce.
Under the new system, recruitment will be conducted online and will be based on eligibility and merit, while the state’s reservation policy will be followed. The corporation will also digitally manage manpower requirements, vacancies, recruitment, postings, attendance, salaries, gratuity, insurance and other service benefits.
Employees will be able to view their service details, bank account information, attendance records, payments and deductions through the portal. They will also be able to register complaints online, track their status and receive time-bound resolutions. The government said real-time monitoring and reporting would be carried out with accountability fixed on nodal officers.
Addressing the programme, Adityanath said the relationship between the government and its employees was not limited to wages and work but was also based on trust and responsibility. He said every worker should have the assurance that their work records were secure, their rights would be protected, and there was an effective mechanism to hear their grievances.
The Chief Minister said the government had made arrangements to increase the remuneration of outsourced workers by nearly two times in some categories. Payments ranging from ₹20,000 and above have been fixed according to category and educational qualification, while remuneration of up to ₹40,000 has been provided for posts involving greater responsibility.He said outsourcing agencies would no longer be allowed to make unauthorised deductions from workers’ wages. The government would pay the agencies’ service charges separately, while monthly remuneration would be transferred directly to employees’ bank accounts by the fifth of every month. Regular deposits towards Employees’ Provident Fund and Employees’ State Insurance would also be ensured.
The government further said that no outsourcing company would be able to terminate an employee arbitrarily. A prescribed procedure would have to be followed before termination, and complaints against workers would be investigated before any action was taken.
The MoU with the State Bank of India is intended to extend social-security benefits to outsourced workers. These include ESI-based healthcare, cashless treatment facilities where necessary, maternity leave and accident insurance cover ranging from ₹20 lakh to ₹50 lakh, depending on the worker’s salary category.
The government also announced assistance of up to ₹10 lakh in case of fire-related incidents, up to ₹5 lakh for emergency medicines and up to ₹10 lakh for air-ambulance services in emergencies. Additional support has been proposed for the education of workers’ children and the marriage of two daughters.
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said the corporation would protect the rights and dignity of outsourced employees, while Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak described its formation as a long-standing demand of workers and a significant step towards providing them with job and social security.