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| Entire opposition stages walkout against job policy | | |
ARTEEV SHARMA
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Mar 22: Describing Sher-e-Kashmir employment policy announced by the government as "cruel joke" and "big fraud" with lakhs of unemployed youth in the State, the entire Opposition today showed unanimity and staged a walkout from the Lower House of the State Legislature here.
For the first time since commencement of current budget session, the vociferous Opposition parties including Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) and Jammu State Morcha (JSM) jointly cornered the ruling coalition over, what they alleged, "lopsided" policy and charged it with gathering "publicity". They reminded the government of its "inefficiency" of arranging at least one job for each family.
It all happened when the Minister In charge Labour & Employment Department, Abdul Gani Malik was responding to the supplimentaries to a question of Radhey Sham Sharma during question hour. The Minister informed the House that the reason for limiting the stipend (Voluntary Service Allowance) to families with an income of less than fifty thousand and land less than 10 kanals irrigated or 20 kanals un-irrigated is to ensure that the benefit reaches to the needy only.
Dissatisfied with the Minister's reply, Radhey Sham Sharma demanded that the government should raise this limit, besides re-considering the age criteria.
Though the Minister tried to satisfy the members saying the policy is in its initial stages and government would take necessary steps to make it feasible for unemployed youth, yet it was of no use.
"There is a total confusion in the Government about the policy. It seems that the government doesn't want to provide a relief to unemployed youth. It has made rigorous conditions which is practically impossible for a normal candidate to fulfill. This policy is just an attempt to gain publicity value," Harsh Dev Singh, Leader of JKNPP Legislature Party said.
He further said this was the same ruling party which had made commitment in its election manifesto to arrange at least one job for each family. "There is such a strict criterion for availing loans and starting the self-employment avenues that not even a single youth would be available to fulfill that criterion. It is an absurd policy that has only added to frustration of the jobless youth in Jammu and Kashmir," the leader charged.
"We have tried to simply the conditions and the policy is a first step to get rid of unemployment problem. This problem cannot be dealt in a single go," the Minister reacted.
The Speaker, Mohammad Akbar Lone however, intervened and directed the Minister to consider the "conditions" laid in the employment package.
While raising the supplementary, Nizam-ud-Din Bhat, PDP MLA suggested the government should prepare a performa unemployed youth followed by its verification so that youth don't face hardship in getting stipend. Ashwani Kumar Sharma said that the government should also make provision of stipend to middle class youth under the scheme.
Ashok Khajuria sarcastically said, "Main Iss Motiyon Wali Sarkar Se Puchna Chahta Hoon Ki In Ki Policy Kya Hai."
Quoting the famous couplet of Dogri writer, Ved Pal Deep "Unda Ha Vada Ya Sada Ha Kasoor, Zindgi Bhar Us Uhnde Re Loor Loor," Khajuria said, "Yeh Government Kab Tak Nowjabano Ko Loor Loor Karegi."
Engineer Abdul Rashid suggested that the government should streamline the process of giving loan to unemployed youth. He said that there should not be a guarantor for youth if a youth avails the loan up to Rs 50,000. Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan said that despite the single window system the youth have been facing problems in submitting forms and availing loan.
However, in a bid to convince the Opposition benches, the Minister reiterated that the policy is in infancy stage and the government is re-considering the conditions.
Soon after the Minister's remarks, all the legislators of Opposition benches were on their feet and charged the Minister with making unsatisfactory reply. Shouting slogans against the government, the protesting legislators alleged that the government is playing with the future of the unemployed youth.
After a brief protest near front row, all the legislator of PDP, BJP, JKNPP and JSM staged a walkout from the House. |
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