Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, Aug, 23
All J&K Panchayat Conference criticized the decision of government for abolishing Self Help Groups as this scheme was providing self –employment to more than 20000 unemployed engineers in the Jammu and Kashmir state.
Briefing media persons here today, Gurdeep Saini, Sarpanch Panchyat Halqa Gandli and General Secretary All J&K Panchayat Conference said that there are around 3500 such Self Help Groups comprising about 20,000 engineering graduates, operating construction activities across J&K adding that doing away with the scheme would have disastrous consequences. He said it was most astonishing that instead of creating more employment avenues for educated unemployed youth, the government was shrinking existing limited job opportunities available to them under a well conceived SHG scheme. He termed this decision as anti youth and would bring total developmental pace in Jammu and Kashmir to a grinding halt.
Saini said the order by virtue of which the government has snatched bread and butter of the thousands of families who are completely dependent on these groups should be immediately withdrawn. “Thousands of our educated unemployed youth who have crossed the age bar are associated with these groups. The Lieutenant Governor should not turn a blind eye towards their economic plight and order immediate withdrawal of this controversial order issued by the GAD,” he demanded.
“Not even a single government job has been advertised for civil engineers in J&K for the last four years. Instead of generating jobs, the J&K government is taking them away,” Saini said, adding that the sudden decision of the government has not only risked the livelihoods of engineers and their families, but of others like office workers and accountants, who depended on them.
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir vehemently opposed the government decision to subsume engineering wings of various departments into PWD as the move will create too much of mess and confusion on the ground,” Saini said, asking the government to immediately revoke such orders. He called this decision as anti-youth and the effect will not be positive in the near future as it will push youth towards depression due to higher rates of unemployment in the Union Territory.
