STATE TIMES NEWS JAMMU: Tarun Uppal, Chairman Nirbhay Bharat Foundation on Wednesday said that despite abrogation of Article 370, tribulation on account of discrimination continues to haunt the people in J&K. In a statement issued here, Tarun Uppal alleged that the selected graduate candidates for Class IV posts are being asked by the JKSSB to submit an affidavit vowing before the recruitment Board that they will never claim any benefit of higher qualification. He said that after the abrogation of Article 370, the unemployed youth were hopeful that now the unemployment crisis would be over, but the problem remained as it is. Recently the list of class IV employees has been released. However, it has already been clarified in this that only candidates who have passed minimum Class 10th and maximum Class 12th can apply for this. Since the number of unemployed in higher education in the state is very high, he said. In such a situation, the government should also give priority to unemployed youth with higher education to apply for Class IV jobs, he maintained. Uppal said that the government’s move lacks rationale and is arbitrary. Citing instances of the past, he said that since 2008 the recruitments made under SRO 99 of 2008 included 12th standard pass candidates but no affidavit was ever demanded from the selected candidates. “This is surely a move to ‘intimidate’ the youth of J&K who is already facing numerous problems on account of turmoil and political uncertainty that over shadowed the region since the last over three decades”, he said, adding that demand of such an affidavit is coercive and sheer violation of fundamental rights, which the government often boasted to have offered to the people of newly carved of UT of Jammu and Kashmir. Claiming this clause to be highly prejudicial, Tarun demanded immediate revocation of the order and asked the government to act as facilitator for the struggling youth and not act in the manner that things become complicated and deny justice to people. While appreciating the decision of Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha to fill 800 posts of Sub-Inspectors in the J&K Police Department, Uppal said that unemployed youth have high hopes from the Lieutenant Governor. Even though many welfare schemes have been started by the government, but it is the responsibility of the government that the burning issue of unemployment can also be resolved at the earliest, he said. He hoped that soon the Lieutenant Governor would understand the seriousness of the matter and pave the way for jobs for the unemployed.
