Srinagar, June 11 -- When we started, many of us were young graduates. We believed in the project. We believed in our roles. Most of us were posted in remote blocks where we became the first point of contact for people trying to access public services. We helped villagers apply for ration cards, pensions, birth certificates, and other essential records. Our work was recognized by local officials and welcomed by citizens. But year after year, our job status stayed the same - contractual, unstable, underpaid.

Successive governments gave assurances. Regularization was promised, most clearly during the previous tenure of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. His party's election manifesto in 2014 placed our issue high on the list. It meant something...