JAMMU JUNE 5- Seeking immediate revocation of discriminatory SRO 202 in the larger interest of those in employment and likely to be appointed, Provincial President National Conference Mr Devender Singh Rana today urged the Jammu and Kashmir Administration to come up with a comprehensive employment policy in tone with the commitments being made for nearly a year now since the imposition of the Central rule to combat the burgeoning unemployment problem and spell out the road map for promoting employability at the strength of skill development.
The Provincial President feared that the administration has no clue about the level of unemployment and un-employability in the absence of an authentic verified data-base. This exercise too was sabotaged, as a result of which the policy planners remain ignorant about the magnitude of the issue in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Rana said in a statement.
“No tangible road map has been prepared despite liberal promises being made on employment front,”, Mr Rana said, hoping that the administration will take youth into confidence in this regard with assurance about safeguarding the interests of permanent residents and providing equitable opportunities to all belonging to different regions and sub regions of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the far-flung, remote and backward areas.
On SRO 202, the Provincial President said the rule has been demoralising for the employees selected under this proviso and also the aspiring candidates as it brings parity among the government servants. He urged the administration to revoke the SRO 202 with retrospective effect.
He described SRO 202 as against natural justice and well defined maxim of ‘equal pay for equal work’, saying the five-year probation instead of two years with denial of increments is frustrating for the employees and job seeking unemployed educated youth. This SRO does not only render the appointees stagnant with minimum of the pay scale but also denies them the benefit of career advancement, he said, adding the provision does not stand the test of principle of equality. He said the issue has been taken up at appropriate forums several times but the administration is preferring muteness than showing inclination to undertake the course correction and to bring about parity in the government service.
Mr Rana exhorted the administration to come up with a blueprint on the number of vacancies in various categories and time schedule for filling up these on fast-track basis. He also stressed the need for focussed attention towards youth empowerment with thrust on employability, which he said was an viable option to tackle large scale unemployment problem. He said the administration has to be innovative and receptive to the latest trends of job market and design programmes accordingly to offset the challenge of unemployment. Skill development, he said, was yet another window of opportunity for those who could set up their own income and employment generating units. He recalled the vistas of opportunities generated a few years ago in terms employment and employability and referred to the programmes like SKEPWY, Udaan and Himayat, saying these had generated hope but political myopism came in the way thus retarding employment growth. The educated youth, he said, are feeling fatigued due to lack of jobs.
“We are perturbed over shelving of the popular schemes like SKWEPY across the state. There is crucial need for exploring the possibilities of generating job avenues for youth by rolling out a progressive industrial policy which will attract private sector and become a mantra to offset unemployment. The governments, both at the Centre and in the State, need to carry out recruitment drives in police and central para military forces in the border areas. The border youth should also be given relaxation in age and other eligibility criterion”, Mr Rana added.
The Provincial President also flagged the issue of regularisation of daily rated, casual, need based and other segments of workers engaged from time to time, saying they are being forced to take agitational path by not redressing their legitimate concerns. Similarly, he said the workers and Lecturers/demonstrators working on academic arrangement basis in various Government Polytechnics in Technical Education Department for the past 20 years, Jammu Municipal Corporation, Technical Trained Workers under SLRM, Academic Arrangement, Need Based ITI, Non ITI Workers Union and others have been knocking every door for justice but the administration is showing sadistic apathy to their plight. These issues are required to be listed for thorough discussions and expeditious decisions at apex level in the administration, he urged.
