Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 2: Former Minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla today said that the role of workforce of J&K cannot be belittled and the Government should take every possible step to help them sail through the prevailing crisis.
He urged upon the Central as well as UT Governments to frame and implement a concrete employment policy 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 J&K, followed by ongoing lockdown in view of COVID-19 pandemic, many people have lost their jobs due to disturbance, uncertainty, low expansion of industries,” he added.
He further said the tourism industries which have much potential for the employment were also showing decline trend for the last nine months, so there was urgent need to revive tourism sector post COVID-19 crisis.
“The financial epidemic is knocking at the door. More people will die due to financial constraints than the coronavirus infection unless the UT Governments should take some steps quickly to keep them afloat for the next few months,” he said.
He sought aggressive testing of all those stranded people being brought back and instead of quarantine centres, they should be allowed to go home. All stranded people should be provided free transportation especially the labour class and other such poor people. He said it could only be the best tributes to those who sacrificed for the rights of the labour class.
Bhalla has sought 4G internet services in J&K to allow educational institutes offer e-learning to students amid the lockdown. He observed that restoration of 4G mobile internet services in J&K would enable people especially the students to remain engaged inside their homes, thereby effectively containing the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, he continued the distribution of ration and other essential items among needy people in Gandhi Nagar constituency including Ambedkar Nagar, Digiana, Bahu Fort, Baga-e-Bahu, Dharap Panchayat and Bablayana Ward-2.
Prominent among those who accompanied Bhalla during the distribution of ration included DCC’s general secretaries Aman Bawa and Jatin Vashisht, Shamshar Singh, Amrit Bali, Surinder singh Dutt, Kashmir Singh, Talik Sharma Bral, Suman Choudhary, Kewal Krishan, Bhabbi Sharma, Chman Kumar, Diwan Chand, Capt Ghar singh, Charanjeet Singh, Kamaljeet Kour, Jasvir Singh Jassi and Rohit Choudhary.