Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 4: After Rs 2000 crore package to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) refugees and process to recruit West Pakistani refugees in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), the State Government today cleared advertisement of 2100 plus posts for recruitment of Kashmiri Pandit migrants, which had been pending for past more than six years and settled their series of other issues pertaining to release of salaries, ration and maintenance of colonies.
Top official sources told the Excelsior that a high level meeting of the State Government this evening finally took a call on advertisement of 2100 plus pending posts for the Kashmiri migrants under Prime Minister’s quota, which had been hanging fire for the past more than six years i.e. the regime of National Conference-Congress coalition Government.
“A directive has gone to the Chairman Services Selection Board (SSB) to advertise remaining about 2100 posts for the Kashmiri Pandit migrants and expedite the recruitment process so that the migrants get their due, which had been denied to them by National Conference-Congress Government, immediately,’’ sources said, adding the posts would be exclusive reserved in the Kashmir Valley.
During the tenure of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, the Central Government had approved 6000 posts for Kashmiri migrants in the Kashmir Valley, the salary for half of which had to be paid by the Centre to the State Government under Security Related Expenditure (SRE) while rest half posts had to be owned by the State.
However, then Government only advertised and filled the posts for which the salary was to be borne by the Centre and kept its share pending. The PDP-BJP Government has now cleared remaining 2100 plus posts for the Kashmiri migrant community and directed the SSB to immediately advertise the posts and fill up them.
The high level Government meeting, which was chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh and attended by entire top brass of the administration including Chief Secretary BR Sharma, Administrative Secretaries of all major Departments and Relief Commission officials among others, also directed that 236 posts, which had been filled from the Kashmiri Pandit community but were pending in different departments for fixation of the year of appointments, have been cleared with effect from 2012. Representatives of the Kashmiri migrants also attended the meeting.
“The Law Department has been asked to complete the process of these posts within a month,’’ sources said.
They added that another major decision taken in favour of Kashmiri Pandit migrants pertained to the community employees, who have been posted in the Valley against Kashmir specific posts from the Prime Minister’s Employment Package.
Though the Pandit staff had to serve in the Kashmir Valley, the Government decided to release their salary of Kashmir unrest period during which they had left the places of their posting and are camping in Jammu holding protests and demonstration seeking their postings in Jammu.
The Government, however, decided that it was not possible to post the migrant employees in Jammu as they had been recruited against the Kashmir specific posts for which they had also given affidavits.
The Government has also settled the issue of Kashmiri Pandits pertaining to delayed supply of ration and other items by releasing entire amount for their ration till the month of March 2017.
The high-level meeting decided that disbursement of ration to migrants for which only five days have been reserved in a month (25th to 30th) was small period and could lead to unhealthy practices and, therefore, should be hiked. A decision on this would be taken shortly, sources said but added that the migrants would now get ration till March 2017 on time.
Yet another issue pertaining to maintenance of Kashmiri Pandit colonies figured in the meeting. Sources said a decision on the Department would be taken shortly but most likely, this responsibility could be assigned to Estates.
Follow our WhatsApp channel