Samba, June 09: Apni Party Provincial President Jammu and former minister, S. Manjit Singh on Sunday demanded employment of local youth in the industrial sector, highway widening project, AIIMS Vijaypur and Central University in Samba.
Addressing a meeting at Ghagour village in Vijaypur, the former minister expressed his concern over the increasing unemployment in Samba district among the educated youth that has ultimately linked joblessness with drug addiction.
“The government shall ensure that the unemployed youth get an adequate share in jobs in the ongoing developmental projects across the district Samba. The premier hospitals like AIIMS, and Central University in Samba have also been established in the district, but the locals are not being given priority,” he said.
Singh said that the residents of Samba have serious concerns over the deliberate ignorance of the unemployed youth even as these projects and institutions have potential to engage the youth in various sectors.
“The authorities must be held accountable for ignoring the locals, and employing the outsiders from the district,” he said while highlighting the plight of the industrial sector in Samba.
Manjit said the industrial sector has employed most of the staff – skilled and unskilled – from various parts of the country, but locals were not given priority. “The local youth are being compelled to leave their home district in the wake of poor chances of employment despite ample opportunities in Samba and work outside the J&K on low wages,” he said questioning the silence of the authorities.
The Apni Party leader added, “The LG administration should look into the issue and ensure that the youth are provided employment at their hometown.”
Raising his concern, he said that the youth are turning towards drug addiction, and crime because of the irresponsible approach of the authorities towards the young generation. “The police are doing their job. However, the authorities should see how the projects, institutions, and industrial sectors fail to provide job opportunities to the youth. The land and resources of Samba are being utilised and then, the locals are being deprived of their basic right of getting a job,” he added.
He warned the authorities of playing with the future of the authorities and demanded that a proper policy should be framed ensuring the employment of the local youth in projects, educational, health institutions, and highway widening work. “The anger is brewing among the locals against the authorities and if they continue to fail, the people will come on the roads in support of their demands,” he said.
Meanwhile, Singh demanded assembly elections in Jammu & Kashmir and the restoration of statehood. “The babus have taken Jammu and Kashmir for granted without an elected government, and there is no accountability to their acts which are anti-public,” he said while welcoming the initiatives taken by the Election Commission of India regarding elections in J&K.
