Unemployment increases to alarming level in J&K: Raqeeq Ahmed Khan

Urges Govt to revise minimum and upper age limit for SI’s recruitment

Jammu, October 23, 2021: Apni Party Youth Wing has expressed serious concern over growing unemployment and poor advertisement of vacant posts in J&K.

Addressing a press conference, State Vice President, Apni Party, Raqeeq Ahmed Khan said that the situation is alarming with regard to unemployment as its historic peak.

Khan was accompanied by prominent leaders including State General Secretary, Youth Wing, Abhay Bakaya, State General Secretary Youth Wing, Tufail Choudhary, Provincial President Jammu Youth Wing, Vipul Bali, Provincial President Jammu Student Wing, Anuj Manhas, Provincial Vice President Jammu Youth Wing Joginder Singh, District President Youth Wing Jammu Shivam Choudhary.

“The youth have become hopeless and feeling isolated with no scope for employment in J&K whether it is Govt service or private sector,” he said and referred to the failure of policy makers which has resulted into extreme depression among the educated youth in view of growing unemployment.

It is evident from the fact that the Sub Inspectors posts advertised for recruitment in J&K Police and the minimum age limit has been fixed 18 years of age and the upper age limit at 28 years of age which is gross injustice.

“The insensitive bureaucracy did not keep into consideration the troubles youth face in J&K while fixing the age limit. J&K is passing through a tough phase of militancy and the youth are in depression due to poor chances of employment following which the Govt. should reconsider and revise the minimum age limit as well as upper age limit fixed for the aspirants of Sub Inspectors post,” he said.

He said the authorities should not play with the future of the youth by taking decisions in the AC room and ignoring the ground realities of J&K.

If the advertisement is not revised and minimum and upper age limits are not revised, Apni Party Youth Wing will come on the roads against the recruitment which is being carried out by ignoring the deserving candidates, he warned.

He said that the recruitment agency has failed to do proper homework while fixing the age limit for minimum and upper age in the recruitment of Sub Inspector posts.

“The youth are the backbone of the Nation and they should not be deprived of the jobs. If the jobs are not provided to the locals who are becoming over aged while waiting for the Govt jobs, we will not tolerate the insensitive approach of the authorities,” he said.

He said that the hydro-electric projects in Chenab Valley, highway widening projects, or recruitment in Govt service, the locals are being pushed to the wall.

“The local youth must be preferred in skilled and unskilled jobs across J&K. If the non-locals are preferred on these jobs, it will cause more problems in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

In the industrial sector, he further alleged that the non-locals are being employed by the industrial sector mostly violating the memorandum of understanding they signed with the J&K Govts.

Meanwhile, he also expressed surprise how the local students had to wait in queues for their admissions in Govt colleges.

“It never happened that the youth would not get admission in graduation level courses. Education has become inaccessible for the marginalized section of society. The rights of education seem to have been snatched from the students belonging to poor families, rural and hilly areas confining them,” he added.

Demanding to open admission for all the students wishing to study in colleges, he demanded restarting evening classes in colleges.

“The Govt. should consider giving admission to all the students, especially locals. We must not forget that the Govt is meant for the welfare of the society, if it is not done, the youth will not remain silent.”

He said that the issues of the youth are unending in J&K.

“There are 93, 456 vacant non-gazetted posts and 27, 242 gazetted posts vacant in different Govt. departments which should be filled up on fast-track basis,” he demanded

He said that the Govt has not been able to advertise all the vacant posts. “If all the vacant seats in different departments are advertised and the recruitment held in fast-track, it could provide some relief to the unemployed youth of J&K,” he said.

He also referred to the missing 3045 posts for fourth class. “These posts were advertised in total 8574. The result of all the posts was declared for fourth class, but the result of 3045 was not declared. The candidates who filled the advertisement for the fourth class were not informed about their fate. It seems something is fishy and it must be investigated by the Govt,” he said.

He said that these vacancies were advertised by the J&K SSRB but the recruitment agency should have adopted a transparent process of recruiting candidates.

He said that “Jammu’s business activities have stopped and it seems that Jammu which is known for religious tourism has become Pathankot with no more tourism, hotel industry has also sunk, and transporters are already worried about their future.”