Congress leader for concrete employment policy

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, May 1: Former MLA and senior Congress leader of Chenab Valley, Ashok Kumar has urged upon the Central and Jammu & Kashmir Governments to frame and implement a concrete employment policy in Jammu and Kashmir as unemployment has been a serious concern, especially, in post Covid-19 crisis.
“There is already a swift increase in the strength of unemployed youth due to prolonged uncertainty and political turmoil in Jammu and Kashmir. Government is not taking any initiative to provide job to qualified unemployed youth. As a result, unemployment rate in Jammu and Kashmir is much higher than other States,” Ashok maintained.
He said that after abrogation of Article-370 Central Govern-ment had promised packages for providing employment to more than five lakh youth in Jammu and Kashmir, adding that Government was delaying the same and playing with the emotions of the youth.
Ashok further said that many qualified unemployed youth of Jammu and Kashmir were wandering in search of job from the last six years, which is simply great injustice with the youth of J&K.
“Unemployment in J&K has ushered poverty, depression among unemployed youth and unrest in the economy of Jammu and Kashmir. Moreover, unemployment derails youth from the mainstream towards social evils like drug addiction etc,” added Ashok.
He said, due to lockdown in view of Covid-19 pandemic, many people have lost their jobs in Jammu and Kashmir and erstwhile India, adding that in the present scenario, disturbances, uncertainty and low expansion of industries in J&K, the problem of unemployment have become more serious.
Ashok said that Tourism Industries which have much potential for the employment were also showing downward trend in Jammu and Kashmir especially, in the last nine months, so there was urgent need to revive tourism sector post Covid-19 crisis. “It is the duty of Government to provide employment/works to unemployed qualified youth, jobless labourers, small traders and other daily rated workers,” Ashok maintained.