Most of the decisions taken since October 31 last year are all obviously directed at encroaching upon the job space of the local youth and one more decision taken by the Jammu & Kashmir Government recently is abolition of the quota of the engineers of self help groups (SHGs) in the construction sector of the engineering departments. Though the appointment of Manoj Sinha a man with a political back ground as new Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir had generated hopes of a drastic change in the controversial job policy of the government but instead of generating new employment opportunities for the local youth the government under the leadership of Manoj Sinha has pushed not less than 20,000 promising engineers into a job frustration mode by abolishing the quota of the engineers of self help groups (SHGs) in the construction sector of the engineering departments. The decision by all standards of understandabilities is a blow to thousands of the beneficiaries of SHG scheme and a huge boost to joblessness already taking a heavy toll of the local youth in Jammu & Kashmir. Though Central Government after scrapping the special status to Jammu & Kashmir and downgrading it from a state to a union territory on August 5 last year had promised huge employment opportunities to the local youth in Jammu & Kashmir but the measures announced day in and day out are all directed at reducing the job space for local youth in Jammu & Kashmir. A huge controversy over the sand construction allotments early summer this year followed by the abolition of SHG scheme depriving 20,000 promising engineers of the means of earning their livelihood go against the spirit of the promises made by the Home Minister of the country on the floor of Lok Sabha and Rajaya Sabha last year . While the Government is suffering from the crisis of credibility, the youth are themselves trapped into a worst ever phase of joblessness.
Discrimination of the local youth in the local job market won’t take the government any where nearer to the stabilization of peace and development in Jammu & Kashmir and could instead deepen the already deepening crisis of alienation of the local population particularly the skilled youth.
Shutting doors of all means of earning livelihood to youth and opening floodgates of more and more job avenues for the non J&K residents allowed to travel in thousands day in and day out amid COVID-19 lockdown for engagement in the construction works are obviously the attempts of reducing job avenues for local youth in Jammu & Kashmir . Discrimination of the local youth in the local job market won’t take the government any where nearer to the stabilization of peace and development in Jammu & Kashmir and could instead deepen the already deepening crisis of alienation of the local population particularly the skilled youth.
