Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 7: Employees engaged under Saakshar Bharat Mission in Jammu and Kashmir today warned of a mass protest if the government fails to address their long-pending demand for rehabilitation and a clear job policy.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Panchayat Coordinators (Preraks), Block Coordinators and District Coordinators associated with the literacy mission said they have been left in uncertainty after serving the Education Department for nearly a decade without any formal employment policy.
The employees said the Saakshar Bharat Mission was launched by the Government of India in 2009 to promote adult literacy across the country, including Jammu and Kashmir. They said the State Literacy Mission Authority (SLMA) was constituted in 2010 and recruitment for various posts was carried out through a “proper merit-based selection process” involving district and education authorities.
According to the employees, they worked in schools and Adult Education Centres under the supervision of DIET Principals, Zonal Education Officers and Headmasters for eight to nine years, performing not only literacy-related assignments but also government duties including Aadhaar enrolment, election work and BLO assignments.
The employees said the central scheme remained operational till March 31, 2018, but was not extended afterward, leaving hundreds of workers jobless and without any rehabilitation package. “We have crossed the upper age limit for government jobs while serving the department under this scheme. Now we are facing unemployment with no clear future,” the employees said.
Appealing to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Education Minister Sakeena Itoo, the employees urged the administration to consider their case sympathetically, citing their qualifications and experience.
The employees also highlighted the social and economic distress faced by many workers due to prolonged unemployment. Some women employees, they alleged, have suffered marital breakdowns because the jobs they once held under the scheme had provided financial stability at the time of marriage.
Warning of intensified agitation, the employees said they would launch a mass protest in the coming days if their demands are ignored.
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