Early Times Report
Srinagar, June 20, 2022: The Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will chair a high-level meeting in Srinagar today to discuss the issues related to the Kashmir Pandit employees recruited under Prime Minister Employment Package.
The meeting notice was issued in this regard on 14th of this month. Chief Secretary, J&K, Principal Secretaries, Financial Secretary and Commissioner Secretaries of all departments will attend this high-level meeting.
Deputy Commissioners’ have been directed to attend this meeting through Video-Conferencing. Meeting will be held in the civil secretariat Srinagar at 1200 hours.
The promotion and seniority related matters of PM Package employees are on agenda while LG Manoj Sinha will also take review of shifting of Kashmiri Pandit employees to safer locations.
On Monday, Kashmiri Pandit employees again held a forceful protest against the Jammu and Kashmir Government alleging that the approach the administration had adopted wasn’t satisfactory.
While addressing a press conference here in Sheikhpora area of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district, the community leaders said that rules under SRO 412 related to the PM Employment Package should be amended. “The rules under this package are like bonded labor. If the previous government has framed ‘erroneous’ rules, then it is the time for the present dispensation to rectify them and win the hearts and minds of Pandit people,” they said.
The community leaders including Ajay Safaya and Sanjay Koul as per news agency Kashmir News Trust said that the government has closed doors for them.
“For past 38 days, Kashmiri Pandits in different places of Kashmir including Budgam, Kupwara, Baramulla, Shopian have been protesting but nothing changed on the ground. We had asked the government to relocate us outside Kashmir,” they said, adding that their only demand is relocation and till that happens they should be attached to the office of Relief Commissioner which is the parent department of Pandit employees under Prime Minister’s Employment Package.
“We don’t want to become scapegoats. Please don’t claim that everything is normal in Kashmir by forcing us to stay here,” the community leaders said.
Nearly 8,000 employees from different districts of Jammu are working in Kashmir under the inter-district transfer policy. “Only 1200 employees have got accommodation. Where will the rest of the employees be ? Don’t treat us as bonded labor, bring us at par with Kashmiri Muslim employees,” they said and threatened to approach international organizations for a solution if the government of India doesn’t resolve their issue. |
