The Kashmir Monitor
By Naveed Para
Respected Sir,
I am writing this letter when the popular government of state no longer exists; creating fear in the minds of common people on the pretext that Governor’s rule is a rule with iron fist. People have an apprehension that BJP at centre may abuse this office to vindicate their political interests for 2019 Loksabha elections. Being a student of politics and law, I have a firm belief that one man rule is better than the rule of Ali Baba and 40 chor’s. I see in you Plato’s Philosopher King of whom I’m a strong advocate. I admire your honest and dedicated administrative skills, since my law school days where I came around Vohra Committee Report 1993 on charges of corruption involving politicians.
Let people believe that Governor’s rule is against the essence of democracy and bureaucracy takes undue advantage under it. But my research on your administrative and honest skills have reposed a trust in you about the fact that fate of Jammu and Kashmir State is in safe hands. Whenever in past administration was in your hands, state was running smoothly on all fronts. Therefore, I feel this is an opportune time to bring in your kind notice some of the important issues confronting the youth of state. 1. Firstly, youth which forms majority of population of state should be the first beneficiaries of any governmental policy. There should be complete decentralized mechanism from state to gross root level to engage youth on all fronts.
2. Secondly, I want to bring in your kind attention the recruitment and eligibility guidelines issued by various recruiting agencies, where I see guidelines are framed more on political considerations rather on academic and profession pursuit.
3. Form past few years I have seen a new trend in eligibility where recruitment of ex-servicemen has become common, curtailing the right of employment for educated youth.
4. More specifically drawing your attention towards higher education autonomous institutions, they seek experience for every post they notify and such experience is drafted in such a way that a few blue eyed persons possess that only.
5. Fifthly, time and again the requisite fee of application forms for any post issued/notified by Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board, Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission and other departmental recruiting agencies or boards is beyond the capacity of an ordinary unemployed youth of state. If requisite fee for IAS and other central exams is just nominal, why KAS and other state exams are not on the same pretext.
6. Sixthly, no doubt University of Kashmir ranks among top 50 universities in India according to the results announced by MHRD recently, but because of absence of annual academic calendar student suffers the most especially due to delay in results and exams.
7. Universities are known not only for imparting higher values of education among youth but also to channelize their skills to secure career options. Taking an over view of placement cells in various universities, I firmly believe that they have become dead cells. Therefore immediate attention is need in this direction to revive their glory.
8. Hon’ble Sir, let me draw you attention towards the most important issue of state sponsored baigarin the name of employment (contractual/permanent) with special reference to recent notification of Directorate of School Education for recruiting 1590 teacher, dated 12-2-2018 with monthly honorarium of just Rs 3000.
Before discussing at length, let’s have an overview of some important factual information.
a. Chhattisgarh: This one of the poorest states in India, (39.93% of population below poverty line) which provides minimum wage of Rs 385 to 410 to its skilled and highly skilled lot.
b. Odisha (32.59% below poverty line) another poorest state of India provides minimum wage of Rs 267.20 to 273.50 to its skilled and highly skilled lot.
And finally when we talk of Jammu and Kashmir State, which contributes around Nominal GDP (in crores) of Rs.75, 574 and has just 10.35% of population living below poverty line, is just providing Rs 100 per day for their skilled and highly skilled youth under the above mentioned notification. No doubt that our government has revised minimum wage of Rs 225 for unskilled, Rs 350 for skilled and Rs 400 for highly skilled lot. But state of actuality is altogether different where just Rs 100/per day for our highly qualified youth. Such policies are abusing and exploiting the youth by recruiting them on such flimsy grounds. They are stealing their youth hood by implementing baigar in more reformative way and our civil society fail to understand this drain of youth hood in its cheapest way.
9. Youth who opt form entrepreneurship face lot of procedural difficulties while processing their options through different agencies of government because of lack of single window system. Same is the case with students in various educational institutions.
Keeping in view the above cited problems, I have a firm belief on your governance and hopeful that the above mentions problem confronting the youth of the state will be your top priority agenda.
Thanking you in advance.
(The writer is LL.M Research Scholar at the School of Legal Studies, Central University of Kashmir.)
