SRINAGAR: A total of 311 Rehbar-e-Janglat, the forest guides retained by various forest wings, are currently engaged across the Union territory, and each is paid a consolidated honourarium of Rs 5,000 per month, the Forest, Ecology and Environment Department told the legislative assembly.
The department’s detailed reply shows the engagees are distributed across three categories: 200 Rehbar-e-Janglat under Forest Territorial divisions, 80 in the Forest Protection Force and 31 under Wildlife Protection units. The consolidated payment rate is fixed under Government Order No. 155-FST of June 20, 2017, the reply added.
Questions in the assembly sought to know whether the honourarium conforms with minimum wage norms and whether these engagees will be regularised. The department said the issue is under examination in coordination with relevant agencies, without committing to a timeline for wage revision or regularisation. It noted only that existing payments follow the 2017 government order and that the matter is being examined.
