Anything lower than Jammu relocation unacceptable, say Pandit staffers as authorities approves promotions

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir authorities Wednesday authorized a scheme for the promotion of Kashmiri Pandit (KP) staff engaged beneath the Prime Minister’s job bundle however the agitating Pandit staff stated their’s is a safety concern and so they gained’t settle for something lower than relocation to Jammu.

The Administrative Council (AC), which met right here right this moment beneath the chairmanship of Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, authorized the scheme for the promotion of PM bundle staff, an official spokesman stated.

The scheme envisages sustaining separate seniority for KP staff appointed beneath the PM bundle, by respective appointing departments which can run parallel to the seniority of normal staff and can take impact from the date of appointment towards the supernumerary posts beneath the PM Package.

ALSO READ: Amid focused killings, 70 per cent Kashmiri Pandit staff flee Valley

However, the KP staff recruited beneath PM’s bundle stated it’s an administration challenge whereas their demand considerations safety.

“We are demanding relocation to Jammu after the recent targeted killings in the Valley. There is total fear in the Valley and we don’t consider ourselves safe in Kashmir. It is better for the administration to send our posts to Jammu,” stated a Kashmiri Pandit worker, pleading anonymity.

He stated they gained’t settle for something lower than relocation to Jammu.

READ MORE | Kashmiri Pandit staffers ought to keep put in valley: BJP

The government-sanctioned creation of pre-facto supernumerary posts at corresponding greater ranges to pave means for well timed profession development of migrant KP staff, by decreasing the supernumerary posts at decrease ranges in the identical ratio.

However, these promotions shall be based mostly on seniority and eligibility necessities as per the recruitment guidelines.

The authorities has additionally re-designated all posts beneath the PM Package as divisional stage posts within the Kashmir division.

ALSO READ: Protests demanding switch of Pandits, Dogra staff from Kashmir proceed

“The implementation of the scheme will be monitored at the highest level to ensure that the eligible employees avail the benefits of the scheme at the earliest,” the official spokesman stated.

As per PM’s job bundle, which was rolled out in 2008-09, employment has been supplied to about 6000 Pandit youth.

The fear-stricken Pandit staff are demanding relocation to Jammu after the latest spate of focused killings by militants within the Valley. Five non-Muslims together with a Kashmiri Pandit, two minority neighborhood members from Jammu, a financial institution supervisor from Rajasthan and a labourer from Bihar have been shot useless by militants in Kashmir since May.

Kashmir Pandit Sangarsh Samiti (KPSS), a Kashmiri Pandit group, termed the promotion scheme an “eyewash”.

“#EyeWash #Promotion is a right and not a dole. @OfficeOfLGJandK isn’t this unusual, when #PackageEmployees submitted #representations about this issue, you gave #ColdShoulder to them and now this approval just to dislodge their protest exposes #Administrations’ mean and scary face (sic),” tweeted KPSS.