THE KASHMIR SCENARIO EXCLUSIVE
Srinagar, Oct 25(KSNN): It was an announcement that was supposed to remove the pangs of unemployment from the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The promise of filling 80, 000 Non-gazetted posts was like a soothing balm to the state grappling with massive unemployment. However, as nine months have passed since the State Service Selection Board (SSB) advertised 20000 posts for ‘fast track’ recruitment in various departments, the delay in declaration of result of screening test has upset the aspirants who fear that further delay may hamper selection due to code of conduct in view of approaching general elections.
Their fears are lend credence by the fact that newspapers these days are flooded with advertisements declaring the results of the exams held by the State Service Selection Board(SSB) in 2008 or 2009. The aspirants fear that if the State Services Selection Board continues with the same ‘sloppy’ pace, then they may be appointed sometime in 2016-17.
“Services selection Board is working at a snail’s pace. The aspirants who filled application for jobs in 2009 are still waiting for the date of interviews. I appeared in the examination for the post of Accounts Assistant held recently. I have lost all hopes of getting employment before 2017. I am already 29 and if I get employed at the age of 33 or 34 and then have to work on a meagre salary of 4000 for another five years. So practically I am getting a service of 20 years. Is this the much-pampered recruitment policy of the government?” asked a furious Arshad working as a salesman at a shop in the commercial hub of the summer capital Srinagar.
The recruitment was surrounded with controversies since beginning over hassled procedure for issuance of admit cards, last-minute postponement of the test and now inordinate delay in declaration of result. About three lakh job aspirants who appeared in the screening cum written tests held on September 17 and 21 are alarmed over the delay in completion of the process.
The selection process may get hampered due to the code of conduct likely to be imposed next year. The selection process many fear may get stuck half way due to the code of conduct in view of approaching general elections, while many smell foul play in delay in the declaration of results
There is also no dearth of aspirants who feel that the selection process may get hijacked by ‘political influence’ in view of the coming elections.
“Elections may hamper the selection process and delay may be due to political interference in the final selection,” Said an aspirant Mushtaq Ahmad Khan from Baramulla.
Opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) too does not seem to be a votary of the new recruitment policy and claims that the very nomenclature “New Recruitment Policy” is wrong. Nizamuddin Bhat of the People’s Democratic Party is doggedly averse to the prospect of giving ‘meagre’ salary to the new employees.
“The very nomenclature ‘New Employment policy’ is flawed. You cannot give a meagre salary of Rs.4000 to the educated youth and label it s the New Employment Policy. You see no new posts have been created by the state government. Every year thousands of employees achieve superannuation and many posts remain vacant. Filling up these vacant posts cannot be termed ‘The New Recruitment policy’,” Nizamuddin Bhat told The Kashmir scenario.
Hakeem Muhammad Yaseen of the People’s Democratic Front while criticising the sloppy work of the State Service Selection Board stressed the need for the creation of separate district and divisional recruitment boards.
“There is a dire need to create separate district and divisional recruitment boards. The SSB is working at a snail’s pace. People who had applied for various posts in 2007 are still waiting for the results. The new recruitment policy is a ‘flawed’ scheme,” Hakeem Yaseen told The Kashmir Scenario.
A former bureaucrat had had in an exclusive interview with The Kashmir Scenario a few weeks ago accused the state government of devaluing the government jobs by giving out ‘frugal’ salary to the new recruits.
“A government job must retain its value and prestige. You cannot pay peanuts to a young man with a master’s degree. That is gross injustice. If a government job retains its value and prestige then only would we be able to stop the rampant brain drain,” the retired bureaucrat had had told The Kashmir Scenario.
Separatists are also in no mood to spare the government on the new recruitment policy. Nayeem Khan, the veteran separatist leader feels that even the Rehbar-e-Taaleem (Ret) scheme was exploitative in nature. The separatist leader feels that the promise of 80,000 jobs is an election stunt aimed to hoodwink the gullible youth of Kashmir.
“The recruitment scheme of the government is exploitative in nature. Even Rehbar-e-Taaleem(ReT) was deceitful in nature. Schemes like these are meant to confuse the youth of Kashmir. Our universities produce thousands of talented students every year. Would you give them a meagre salary of 4000 and brand it the ‘New Employment policy’. This is a mere election stunt aimed to divert the attention of the youth from serious issues like human Rights violations and the illegal occupation of the Indian forces. Government is not serious on changing the employment scenario in the state of Jammu and Kashmir,” Nayeem Khan told The Kashmir Scenario over phone.
Chairman of the State Service Selection Board (SSB) Shagufta Parveen while talking to The Kashmir Scenario said that the interviews for the district cadre have been completed while as the interview for the divisional cadre candidates may take place in the coming week. Parveen assured that in the month of November the result of all posts would be declared.
We have completed the interviews for the district cadre. The interviews for the divisional cadre posts may take place anytime next week and by end of November, the results of all the posts would be declared. We are at it and working tirelessly,” Parveen told The Kashmir scenario over phone.
The Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) is also working at a snail’s pace as the perennial writs by the dejected candidates are wreaking havoc with the careers of thousands of aspirants. The state government had recently referred some 581 posts of 10+2 lecturers to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) but the latter has not advertised the same saying it is waiting for a ‘nod’ from the General Administrative department(GAD) leading to frustration among the various candidates.
“I wonder what kind of nod they are waiting for. If the state government has referred the posts then what sort of a ‘nod’ are they looking for?” asked a dejected candidate Furqan with Masters in Business Administration (MBA).