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| SKEWPY skewed. Isn’t it? | | |
MUNISH GUPTA
Jammu, Dec 10:-Since Jammu and Kashmir is single cropping state the ceiling on agricultural land is fixed at 10.93 hectares for a family of five members. And for all other categories of land, including orchards, the ceiling has been fixed at 21.85 hectares for one family. If the land ceiling is any guide wards of majority of families in Jammu and Kashmir may not be eligible for securing benefits from the recently announced Sher-e- Kashmir employment and welfare policy for youth (SKEWPY), including the payment of unemployment allowance.
Under the new employment policy those who do not own more than 10 kanals of irrigated land or 20 kanals of un-irrigated land were eligible for the employment package. No doubt there were a large number of families which had managed to have more irrigated and un-irrigated land than stipulated in the land ceiling Act, majority of the land owners have stuck to the Act. Even if they have land within the limits prescribed by the Land ceiling Act they may not be able to secure any benefit for their wards from the employment package.
Under the land ceiling A ct one family of five members is entitled to own more than 23 kanals of single cropped land and more than 45 kanals of un-irrigated land. Hence wards of such families have no right to seek unemployment allowance. Experts are of the opinion that either the Government should modify the employment package or promulgate new land ceiling Act which would make it mandatory for the people to own not more than 10 kanals of irrigated and 20 kanals of unirrigated land. They said well majority of people may reject the new ceiling as well as the existing employment package.
Another lacuna in the employment package. Under the package a Matriculate is eligible for unemployment allowance if he fulfills other conditions. But the same matriculate is not eligible for any allowance if he is still studying. Similarly a large number of educated youth have been forced to seek employment in small business establishments. On an average they earn between Rs.500 and Rs.800 a month. This category of youth cannot secure any benefit from the employment package.
Yet another shortcoming the package. Those in the 28-37 age group alone are entitled to seek benefits from the package if they fulfill other conditions. While framing the new policy neither the experts nor the Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues had any idea of a majority of unemployed youth who are in 22-30 age group. This way a big chunk of the unemployed youth is left out of the purview of the employment package. The package is silent on those educated youth who belong to the families of refugees from Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir who are settled in Jammu for the last four to six decades. It is equally silent on the educated youth belonging to the displaced Kashmiri Pandits. No doubt the Chief Minister has explained that the new employment package is different from the Prime Minister's package for the displaced families but he has not made it clear whether the youth belonging to the displaced families are eligible for the unemployment allowance.
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