By Parshant Chohan ;

The plight of Sewa Kendra employees in Punjab paints a grim picture of administrative apathy, corporate indifference, and a collapsing promise of “digital governance”. These dedicated public service workers, who toil diligently from 9 AM to 5 PM, six days a week, find themselves caught in a vicious cycle of delayed, reduced, and uncertain salaries—month after month.

This issue is not new. It is not accidental. And it is certainly not excusable.

Despite repeated complaints, departmental assurances, and a letter from the General Technical Manager of the Punjab State e-Governance Society (PSeGS), the ground reality remains unchanged. The letter dated late 2024 was issued in response to a citizen’s intervention, assuring that “all employees will receive their salaries by the 7th of each month”. It also cited “unexpected technical issues” in the payment processing system. One year later, this statement stands hollow, devoid of credibility, and is now nothing more than bureaucratic white noise.

Despite tireless work and promised reforms, Sewa Kendra staff in Punjab continue to face unacceptable delays and deductions in salary. Who will answer for this failure?”

Aug 01, 2025

The Blame Game: Department or Service Providor—Who’s Telling the Truth?

The Department of Governance and IT, when verbally confronted, claims that timely and complete payments are being disbursed to the service provider, Quantela/TerraCIS/
ParadigmIT Technologies Services Ltd. In stark contrast, the company, in its latest internal communication dated 31st July 2025, passes the buck back to the Department, citing incomplete fund releases and claiming to have only issued “proportionate salaries” due to financial constraints.

Is the department misrepresenting the facts?
Is the service provider withholding funds while blaming the government?
Or worse—are both complicit in maintaining a convenient silence while the workers suffer?

These are not mere ambiguities. These are deliberate obfuscations that need judicial scrutiny and immediate administrative accountability.

A Financial Assault Masquerading as Delay

Since Quantela/TerraCIS/ParadigmIT Tec-hnologies Ltd assumed the Sewa Kendra contract in late 2023, employee complaints have intensified. Sources indicate the company earns ₹45–55 per transaction from the Government of Punjab, yet the staff—particularly operators—often receive no more than ₹7,000 to ₹7,500 a month, and even that arrives a full month late.

Let us not forget that ₹10,000 is the approximate salary of a full-time Sewa Kendra operator. How does one manage a household, educational fees, medical expenses, and basic survival on such an income—paid in parts, and with disdain?

This is not merely a salary delay; it is a financial assault on low-income workers whose only mistake is their belief in the government system. The Government and its partner company are duty-bound to ensure uninterrupted livelihoods, not promote suffering cloaked in official letters and technical jargon.

The Disgrace of Digitisation Without Dignity

The entire purpose of establishing Sewa Kendras was to provide citizens with efficient, timely, and tech-enabled public services. Ironically, the employees facilitating this vision are now victims of the very technology meant to empower them. The Department responsible for digital excellence is now shielding systemic failures behind the excuse of “technical glitches”.

If the Department of Governance and IT cannot resolve such elementary payroll issues, what confidence can the public place in their promise of 'Digital Punjab'?

Moreover, what kind of “technical difficulty” requires an entire year to resolve?

The truth is glaring: this is not a technological delay—it is a managerial failure.

Quantela/TerraCIS/ParadigmITTechnolo-gies Ltd : Partner or Perpetrator?

Quantela/TerraCIS/ParadigmIT, despite being entrusted with a public-facing, socially significant role, has failed repeatedly to meet its basic obligations. Blaming departmental funding shortfalls while continuing to accept public money on a per-transaction basis reeks of hypocrisy. If the company is financially incapacitated to pay full salaries on time, it must be disqualified from managing any public utility service.

Allowing such private players to exploit thousands of ground-level employees, while hiding behind templated HR emails, is a betrayal of public trust.

Who Will Speak for the Voiceless Workers?

Thousands of employees across Punjab remain silent—not by choice, but by fear. Fear of losing their already tenuous employment. Fear of retaliation. Fear that even this meagre income could disappear.

But now is the time to speak. Not just for the workers, but for transparency, justice, and the sanctity of public service.

A Call to Action

1. An independent audit must be commissioned immediately to verify payment releases from the Department and salary disbursements by ParadigmIT Technologies.

2. The Department of Governance and IT must issue a public clarification, substantiated with financial records.

3. ParadigmIT Technologies must be held accountable for every rupee of withheld or delayed salary.

4. The Honourable Chief Minister and Governor of Punjab must intervene, as this is now a matter of public dignity and administrative ethics.

5. Media organisations and civil society groups must amplify this issue and demand real reform—not just recycled letters.

It is a national embarrassment that in the age of AI, blockchain, and 24x7 banking, the government of Punjab and its technology partner cannot ensure regular salary credit to frontline public workers.

This is not just about salary delays. This is about respect, livelihood, and trust.

And every day this situation is allowed to continue, a little more of that trust dies.

Note : All images above have been generated using artificial intelligence and are not real photographs. They are meant solely for visual representation.