Jammu-Kashmir: Job Aspirants Protest Against 'Tainted' Firm Hired for Conducting Exams, NC Delegation Joins Agitation
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Protests against the hiring of a previously “blacklisted” company by the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) for conducting written examinations for recruitment to various posts continued for the second day on Thursday.
Scores of job aspirants assembled at the Press Enclave here to protest against the company, Aptech, and the JKSSB, even as a delegation of National Conference (NC) joined the protesters expressing dismay over the government’s “non-serious attitude” towards the grievances of job aspirants.
The students demanded to scrap the contract of the company, alleging it has indulged in malpractices.
A senior official of the JKSSB said on Wednesday that there was no justification for the protest as the matter with regard to the hiring of Aptech is “sub-judice”.
However, he said the company was hired as per the central and J-K government guidelines as it has already completed the blacklisting period of three years in May last year.
“JKSSB is forcing us to appear in examinations which are being conducted by a blacklisted company Aptech. Why are they allowing the company to continue when they have “scams’ and ‘scandals’,” Arif Hussain, an aspirant, told PTI.
He said job aspirants do not accept the examinations to be conducted by Aptech.
“We are submitting forms, we pay money. The fee for an examination conducted by the SSB is Rs 100, while Aptech takes Rs 550 for it. Why should we pay for a blacklisted company?” Hussain said, adding protests will continue till Aptech is “thrown out”.
Another job aspirant, Shahid Farooq, said the contract with Aptech should be cancelled.
“The matter is also sub-judice, but then what is the need to conduct examinations? We are not hesitant to appear in exams, but we do not trust this agency. There should be investigations as to why the JKSSB is favouring this company. Why did they change their by-laws for this company?” he said.
The protestors also raised slogans against the company and JKSSB.
Meanwhile, National Conference’s youth wing president Salman Ali Sagar, the party’s provincial vice president, Kashmir, Ahsan Pardesi, and provincial spokesperson Ifra Jan and other youth wing functionaries joined the ”peaceful sit-in” of the job aspirants.
“The unbending attitude of the government has pushed the aggrieved aspirants to take to the streets in protest. Nothing significant is being done to allay the apprehensions of the job aspirants, it seems that the government doesn’t give two hoots about what our educated youth are going through,” an NC functionary said.
“Far from reaching out to aggrieved aspirants, the administration is resorting to highhandedness. Why is the future of hundreds of job aspirants being put into the hands of those who lack credibility?” the functionary said.
Demanding that the LG administration should rise to the occasion and take necessary measures for the larger benefit of the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, the party functionaries said they are concerned about the future of the youth who are crossing the age limit due to the “failure” of the administration to complete the recruitment process on time.
“How many times they have to appear for the same exam. Our youths are submitting forms, paying money. Why should they pay hefty amounts for a blacklisted company?“ another NC functionary said.
The NC said the decision of the government to continue with the “blacklisted” company reveals how “deeply entrenched” corruption is in Jammu and Kashmir and how “alienated” the government is from the issues concerning people, particularly unemployed and educated youths.
They demanded the JKSSB conduct the exams by utilising the services of credible agencies.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said JKSSB’s decision to continue with a “fraudulent blacklisted company indicates how deeply entrenched corruption is in J-K”.
“Sarkari babus responsible for this continue enjoying their positions at the cost of sabotaging the future of J&K’s youth. So much for corruption-free J&K,” the former J-K chief minister wrote on Twitter.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
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