Breaking: Punjab employees, pensioners protest outside Health Minister’s residence in Patiala
Babushahi Bureau
Patiala (Punjab), September 12, 2026:Punjab government employees, pensioners and honorarium workers on Saturday staged a massive protest outside the residence of Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh in Patiala, demanding the fulfilment of their long-pending demands.
The protesters, under the banner of the Punjab Employees and Pensioners Sanjha Front and Employees Manch Punjab, first held a rally at PUDA Ground before marching towards the minister’s residence.
Despite police barricading, the protesters broke through the barricades and reached the gate of the minister’s residence.
The protesting organisations accused the Punjab government of failing to address several key demands, including the release of pending 18% dearness allowance (DA) instalments and arrears, implementation of the 2.59 multiplication factor for pensioners and employees in unrevised categories, and restoration of the Old Pension Scheme.
They also demanded regularisation of contractual and outsourced employees, minimum wages for honorarium workers including mid-day meal workers, ASHA workers and Anganwadi workers, and restoration of 37 discontinued allowances, including rural and border-area allowances, as well as the ACP scheme.
The unions further sought implementation of Punjab pay scales for employees recruited after July 17, 2020, payment of full salaries during the probation period and resolution of other issues listed in their demands charter.
The protesters alleged that despite directions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the government had failed to release the pending DA instalments and arrears. They also accused the government of avoiding meetings with the joint coordination committee and spreading misleading information about employees’ demands.
Union leaders said their agitation was not limited to the issue of DA and would continue until all demands listed in their charter were accepted.
Leaders from the joint coordination committee, employees’ organisations and pensioners’ bodies participated in the protest. Representatives of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha also joined the demonstration in solidarity.
Harjit Singh, district general secretary of the Aam Aadmi Party employees’ wing, also participated after resigning from the party, according to the organisers.