Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, July 5: Peeved over the pathetic plight of lower rung employees in the J&K State, former minister and chairman of the NPP Harsh Dev Singh today submitted three different petitions in the PMO seeking the indulgence of the Prime Minister for ameliorating the lot of a highly exploited youth force comprising contractual, daily rated workers (DRWs) and other qualified under employed youth in the State.
Apprising the Prime Minister through the memoranda about the plunder of the public exchequer in J&K, NPP leader pointed towards the most unfair treatment doled out to the agitating employees of the State including Female Multipurpose Health Workers (FMHWs), DRWs, casual and consolidated workers, contractual lecturers of schools and Polytechnics, NRHM employees, MG-NREGA empeoyees, Wireless operators, ReTs, Anganwari workers, SPOs, Tourism and TDA workers, Asha workers etc who were deprived of even their negligible wages for periods ranging from 6 months to two years.
“While the Ministers and MLAs had doubled their salaries, perks, CDF besides all allowances with process initiated for allotment of residential plots to them at both Jammu and Srinagar, the lower rung employees were forced to starvation on the plea of financial constraints,” Singh pointed out in his petition.
Highlighting the deplorable condition of nearly 62000 DRW’s, need based workers and casual labourers working in various departments, Harsh Dev said that they were forced to work like bonded labourers without paying their meager wages for more than two years. They are on the roads since long but State Govt is least bothered.
Deploring the miserable plight of FMPHWs, who remained on strike for one month for the release of their long pending salaries, he said that the issue of their salary head under Health & Family Welfare had not been resolved despite continuous hard struggle and the State Govt had divested them of their due wages for more than 15 months.
He termed ‘Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao’ slogans of BJP Govt as a cruel joke with the daughters of the soil who were an hunger strike for the last 143 days seeking regularization of their services as contractual lecturers. He also projected issue of Polytechnic staff on strike. Expressing his anguish over the exploitation of thousands of NRHM employees seeking regularization of their services, Harsh Dev said that these employees included doctors, ASHA workers, paramedics and managerial staff who were working tirelessly and selflessly on paltry wages.
Highlighting the grave concerns of SPO’s working in Police Department, Harsh Dev revealed that about 25000 SPOs in the State have been drawing a meager salary till date despite the tall pronouncements made by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Drawing the attention of the State Govt towards the agony of teaching fraternity all across the State, Singh divulged that the salaries of ReTs, and other staff engaged under SSA and RMSA remain unpaid for months together.
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