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Recruitment mafia to face tough time, jobs on merits only: J&K LG
Addressing mediapersons J&K LG Manoj Sinha said, “Last year J&K witnessed economic growth of 14.64% and tax revenue showed a growth of 31%. The law and order situation has also improved appreciably and this year the highest number of 1.88 crore tourists visited J&K”
: Buoyed by economic growth of 14.64 percent and tax revenue going up by 31 percent in the fiscal year 2022-23, lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday said that his administration aimed at doubling the GDP in the next five years.
In the financial year 2022-23, J&K’s GDP was pegged at ₹2,09,752 crore.
Addressing mediapersons here on the J&K Budget for the 2023-24 fiscal, Sinha said, “Last year J&K witnessed economic growth of 14.64% and tax revenue showed a growth of 31%. The law and order situation has also improved appreciably and this year the highest number of 1.88 crore tourists visited J&K”.
He said that J&K has been among top performers in the country for implementation of schemes like Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Amrit Sarovar, SVAMITVA Scheme, Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Nasha Mukt Abhiyan and renewable energy development.
While enumerating measures to explore job avenues for the youth, Sinha also asked the youth not to get misled by others.
The region has been rocked by protests by job seekers over hiring of an alleged blacklisted agency to conduct computer-based written exams for various posts.
“While I assure total transparency and jobs on merits, I urge the youth not to get misled by others. I won’t say anything on who were appointed earlier (backdoor appointments) but I want to tell our youth that recruitments now are based on transparency and merit,” he said.
“Earlier, a recruitment mafia thrived here for decades. They are going to face a tough time. While some want to delay the recruitment process, I would request youth not to get misled. Their ability will decide their future,” he added.
In this context he cited how the public service commission declared the results in the recruitment process of JKAS within three hours of the interview of the last candidate.
Responding to a query on a tainted agency, he said, “After people raised doubts over recruitment process, a panel was formed, and some facts came to the fore. Consequently, three exams were cancelled, and the probe was handed over to the CBI. Some arrests were made.”
When asked when will the recruitment process begun, he said that the tender to conduct the exams was given to Aptech but after some people moved the court, the government, too, had to file its response.
“Now a division bench of the high court has asked the single bench to hear the case afresh. We also decided to wait for the court order. Let there be no doubt in the mind of the people. I assure that exams, whenever held, will be totally transparent and if there were any irregularities found, the guilty will not be spared,” he said.
On proposed investment figures of ₹66,000 crore received by the UT administration in the past two years, he said, “I have already said that we have received many proposals, but I have not said that all of them will translate on the ground. We are trying and in this direction the work on 29 industrial estates is being speeded up.”
“Highest-ever investment of ₹1,547.87 crore received during the last 10 months of this year and 500 startups have come up during the last three years,” he added.
“We are trying for maximum investment, and I am confident because of the incentives being offered by us. Under the new industrial scheme, there are provisions for new and old industrial units. At the same time, those units, which could not do anything in the past 20 years, we are discussing them also and whatever is possible, will be done for them,” he added.
On property tax vis-à-vis suggestions invited by the housing and urban development department, he again repeated his statement that proposed tax was the lowest in the country.
“There will be no tax on 40 percent of the people in cities. Out of 5.20 lakh houses in the cities, there shall be no tax on 2.06 lakh while 2,03,600 houses shall have to pay a maximum of ₹1,000 per annum and that too in some particular areas of Jammu and Srinagar cities,” he said and added that rational suggestions will be considered seriously.
To another query on situation in Punjab due to fugitive Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh and his links in Jammu, he said that security forces were keeping a close watch over the situation and exuded confidence that they will not allow any impact of the Punjab situation to spill over to Jammu.
Earlier, he said that unemployment rate was marginally reduced and 33,426 posts have been referred to recruiting agencies.
“As many as 25,450 selections have been made, including 2,436 selections of J&K Bank Limited. Around 2, 02,749 youth have been covered under various self-employment schemes and the target is to cover 2, 37,000 by the end of the current year. Next year around 3 lakh people will be covered under all the self-employment schemes,” he said.
“In 2018-19, 9,228 works were completed and in 2021-22, 50,627 works were completed. This year we expect 70,000 works to be completed. This is the paradigm shift in the pace of development in J&K over the last three to four years,” he said.
