‘HKRN will Actively Shape Haryana’s Labour Market, Aligning Perfectly with Digital India, Skill India and Social Security Code 2020 Frameworks’: Ambika Patyal, GM – Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam, Haryana Govt

Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam Limited (HKRN) has become central to Haryana’s effort to bring transparency and efficiency to contractual hiring. In an exclusive interview, Ambika Patyal, General Manager, HKRN, Government of Haryana, told APAC Media, how the organisation has digitised recruitment, ensured timely wage payments and social security, as well as outlined its roadmap to evolve into an AI-enabled, inclusive employment ecosystem aligned with national skilling and digital governance initiatives.

HKRN was created to replace department-wise contractual hiring systems. What measurable changes have you seen so far in terms of transparency, cost efficiency and reduction in complaints or corruption?

Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam Limited has been incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013 on 13 October, 2021. It has been set up to provide contractual manpower to all Government entities in Haryana in a transparent, robust and equitable manner. It acts as the authorised agency for providing contractual manpower in Haryana.

Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam, in the process of providing contractual manpower, focuses on :

• Uplifting socio-economically disadvantaged candidates
• Facilitating the timely payment of salary and benefits to deployed manpower
• Ensuring adherence to the State Reservation policy

 Since its inception, the following measurable changes have been seen:

Transparency

• Centralised online candidate registration and government-framed policy selection through the HKRN portal has reduced manual intervention and discretion at the departmental level.
• Clear eligibility criteria, merit-based shortlisting, and digital records have improved traceability and auditability of the hiring process.

Cost Efficiency

• Elimination of multiple departmental hiring processes has reduced administrative duplication and associated costs.
• Standardised remuneration structures and streamlined contractual management have helped in better financial planning and control.
• Reduced reliance on outsourcing agencies has resulted in savings on commission and intermediary charges.

Reduction in Complaints and Corruption

• Centralised and rule-based engagement has significantly reduced allegations of favouritism and backdoor entries.
• Grievances related to selection and deployment have declined due to transparent criteria and documented processes.
• Digital workflows and reduced human interference have curtailed opportunities for corrupt practices.

Timely Payment of Wages and Statutory Compliance

• Centralised payroll processing under HKRN has ensured the timely and regular payment of wages to contractual staff.
• Mandatory compliance with statutory provisions such as ESI, EPF and LWF has improved, with deductions and deposits being made within prescribed timelines.
• Digital wage and contribution records have enhanced transparency, reduced disputes and ensured social security benefits for workers.

HKRN has led to a more structured, transparent and cost-effective contractual hiring mechanism, with a noticeable reduction in complaints compared to the earlier decentralised system.

As the sole authorised agency for contractual hiring in Haryana’s government departments, how does HKRN ensure fairness in selection, especially for candidates from rural and economically weaker backgrounds?

Haryana Kaushal Rojgar Nigam Limited (HKRN) was established by the Government of Haryana as the sole authorised agency for contractual recruitment across all state departments, boards, corporations and universities in Haryana, strictly in line with the Government-framed Department of Contractual Persons Policy 2022 and its further amendments.

1. Centralised Digital Recruitment Platform

HKRN operates through a fully online portal (hkrnl.itiharyana[.]gov[.]in) that provides transparent registration, application, merit generation and selection.

• No human discretion in merit list generation.
• Transparency in candidate status and allocation.

2. Socio-Economic Weightage System

A key fairness mechanism in candidate selection is the “Socio-Economic Criteria” inspired by the Deployment of Contractual Persons Policy 2022 and its further amendments.

• Family income below Rs 1.8 lakh/year (Economically Weaker Section).

• The merit list of candidates is prepared based on the following weighted parameters, totalling 80 points:

The system balances socio-economic factors (50 points) and merit/skills (30 points) — giving preference to economically weaker candidates while maintaining skill-based fairness.

There have been concerns in the past about contractual workers facing wage delays and a lack of social security. How is HKRN addressing these challenges?

Earlier, wages passed through multiple layers — contractors, outsourcing firms and local offices, causing delays and deductions.
Now:

• HKRN pays contractual workers directly into their bank accounts through DBT, after e-verification of attendance and deployment by departments.
• Mandatory compliance with statutory provisions such as ESI, EPF and LWF has improved, with deductions and deposits being made within prescribed timelines.
• Every transaction is timestamped and auditable

How do you see HKRN evolving over the next three to five years, especially in digital recruitment, worker protection and alignment with national skilling initiatives?

Over the next five years, HKRN is expected to transform into:

“An intelligent, integrated, and inclusive employment ecosystem — connecting skill, security and service.”

It will not just fill vacancies but actively shape Haryana’s labour market, aligning perfectly with Digital India, Skill India and Social Security Code 2020 frameworks.

Digital Recruitment Evolution: AI-Driven, Data-Linked, Transparent

From Automation to Intelligence

By 2028–30, HKRN is expected to evolve into a Smart Recruitment Engine using:

• AI-based candidate-job matching, considering skill certifications, employment history and proximity.
• Predictive analytics to identify emerging job clusters (e.g., EV maintenance, solar energy, healthcare tech).
• Dynamic merit algorithms integrating CET scores, skill credentials and socio-economic parameters.

Unified Talent Registry

HKRN will integrate its database with:

• National Career Service (NCS) under the Ministry of Labour.
• Skill India Digital Platform (SIDP) for seamless data sharing.
• Haryana Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP) for verified socio-economic profiling.

This will create a single digital identity per worker, enabling real-time employability tracking and cross-state mobility.

Blockchain-Based Credential Verification

Future iterations of HKRN’s system will likely include tamper-proof digital certificates for employment, training and experience — ensuring transparency and portability across employers.

Worker Protection: From Compliance to Empowerment

 Universal Social Security Coverage

HKRN plans full integration with E-Shram, EPFO and ESIC, ensuring every contractual worker automatically receives:

• Provident Fund and insurance contributions via a single unified deduction system.
• Portability of benefits across government departments and states.

This aligns directly with the National Code on Social Security (2020) and India’s upcoming Digital Labour Platform.

Digital Wage Protection

Building on its DBT model, HKRN is expected to:

• Use real-time salary dashboards accessible to both workers and departments.
• Enforce auto-escalation of payment delays through digital red-flag systems.
• Implement AI-driven fraud detection to prevent wage suppression or attendance manipulation.

Grievance Redressal 2.0

A planned upgrade (mentioned in the 2025 policy draft) includes:

• A mobile grievance app with voice-based complaint registration (for semi-literate workers).
• 24×7 multilingual chatbot assistance.
• Social audit dashboards displaying resolution timelines publicly.

 Health, Insurance & Welfare Expansion

• Broader inclusion in Ayushman Bharat and PM Suraksha Bima Yojana.
• Integration with the Haryana Unorganised Workers’ Board for rural and informal segment linkage.

District-Level Skill Forecasting

Using AI-based labour market analytics, HKRN and HSDM (Haryana Skill Development Mission) will generate quarterly district skill maps identifying:

• Future vacancies by sector and geography.
• Skill shortages in high-growth clusters (like logistics, renewable energy and agri-tech).
  This will guide public training budgets and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) curriculum planning.

Public–Private Partnership (PPP) Scaling

By 2030, the state aims to:

• Have 50 per cent of HKRN training programmes co-funded by industry partners.
• Establish Skill Hubs at industrial estates — jointly run by HKRN, HSDM and corporate CSR arms.
• Encourage private firms to recruit directly from the HKRN talent pool (expanding beyond government hiring).

Also Read –

• ‘BMTC Focuses on Smarter Operations, Greener Buses and Seamless Connectivity in Bengaluru’: Ramachandran R, IAS, MD, BMTC