JAMMU: Accusing the Public Service Commission (PSC) of persisting with the policy of bias against the educated youth of Jammu region in the matter of selections, Harsh Dev Singh, Chairman JKNPP and former Minister, has charged it for administering yet another obnoxious doze of discrimination in the selection lists of AEs issued yesterday.
He said that like various other lists issued by the PSC, the selection list of AEs in PHE, I and FC, R&B (PWD) indicate abysmally low share of Jammu region despite fairly larger number of candidates having been shortlisted which has created widespread resentment in the region.
Citing the figures, Singh pointed out that in response to notification No. 18-PSC (DR-P) of 2013, a total of 43 candidates were selected as AEs in OM category in R&B (PWD) of which barely nine belonged to Jammu region. Likewise in response to notification No. 11-PSC (DR-P) of 2013, a total of 24 candidates were selected in PHE and I and FC of which eight belonged to Jammu region. Likewise in response to notifications No. 01-PSC (DR-P) of 2015, out of 20 candidates selected as AEs in open merit in R&B, merely six belonged to Jammu region.
Lambasting the PSC for huge imbalances at regional level, Singh questioned whether it considered the Jammu youth as less intelligent, stolid and dull as compared to their Kashmir counterparts.
Cautioning the PSC to stop looking at the Jammu youth with a jaundiced eye, Singh said that the deprived youth of Jammu were fast losing their patience with their anger already having reached its crescendo.
He said that not only the select lists of AEs released yesterday, but all other lists especially those of Assistant Professors in Higher Education in various subjects including Commerce, Education, History, Bio-technology, Physics, English, Psychology besides others exhibited discrimination at its worst.
Making a particular mention of some of such biased selections, Singh said that out of 34 selected candidates in History, nine belonged to Jammu region, seven candidates out of 26 in Physics, nine in Psychology out of 27 and likewise in other subjects.
The selected candidates mainly belonged to categories and the PSC had no option as SCs belonged to Jammu region only.
Singh further pointed out highly biased and obnoxious selections in Economics and Statistics wherein out of 26 candidates selected for Junior Statistical Assistants only one belonged to Jammu region. He further pointed out that in Health and Medical Education department, out of 123 selections of consultants in Radiology, Medicine, Ophthalmology, ENT, Orthopaedics, Gynaecology, Pathology and Paediatrics only 23 belonged to Jammu region.
Asserting that discrimination against educated unemployed youth of Jammu region had aggravated during the BJP-PDP rule, Harsh cautioned the mandated leaders of Jammu region to ensure justice to the youth by ensuring them a fair deal in the selection process. He said that the BJP leaders had already belied their hopes and aspirations by succumbing over the issue of ‘New Recruitment Policy’ providing for stipendiary mode of recruitment. He cautioned that with BJP ministers still mum over the persistent disregard of Jammu youth, the volatile situation could explode any moment leading to irreparable damage for which Saffron leaders would be squarely responsible.