Vivek Koul
The Hon’ble Prime Minister’s Employment Package, formulated in the year 2009, for internally displaced Kashmiri Pandits which is more oftenly known as “Return and Rehabilitation package” has proved out to be a total failure & disastrous as nothing concrete has been done by the government with regard to the betterment of the community youths selected under this much talked about package. Only fake promises and false assurances have been given to them by different governments in connection with their dignified return and rehabilitation to Kashmir. Actually this Job package was given to Kashmiri pandit youths (victims of genocidal killings) under a Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) so one can’t link this package with KP’s return and rehabilitation. With regard to the career progression of employees selected under this package, the government has done injustice and discrimination with the package employees. By introducing and implementing G.O 34 JK DMRRR, the govt is just treating these employees as if they are second class citizens. The government must revoke this unconstitutional order and the package employees should be absorbed into state cadre which will ensure their service right at par with general employees. The government has always exploited the needs and urge of these PM package employees and made them to work in Kashmir as bonded labourers with dire conditionality. One wonders as to why the government puts harsh conditionality for KP package employees of signing the bond to serve in Kashmir valley alone for whole of their life time. Such bond or judicial agreement with regard to the PM’s Employment Package seems to be irrational and unreasonable on all counts. It is totally beyond one’s comprehension as to why these PM package Pandit employees have been subjected to this kind of humiliation in terms of signing the bond before getting job. In India nowhere an employee is asked to sign a bond before getting a job. This is total discriminatory, unlawful and unconstitutional bond. Thus this arbitrary bond should be abrogated in future if the government is really interested in safeguarding the precious lives of Kashmiri Pandits. A comprehensive transfer policy must be framed for these KP Package employees as they haven’t signed any death warrant under this employment scheme. The erstwhile state of J&K is now a Union Territory so all the state laws are replaced by the central laws and in this perspective a new dimension and look should be given with regard to the terms/conditions of their job under this much talked about PM’s package. It is not understandable that if an employee of Delhi or some other UT can be transferred anywhere in India then why PM Package employee of JK UT is restricted to serve only in Kashmir valley? This is a moot question. The PM Package for displaced Kashmiri Pandits is basically an economic package and therefore it should not be linked with any rehabilitation program/plan or something like that. The government claims it a Rehabilitation package and if it is so then where is the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits? Rehabilitation doesn’t mean forcefully coercing PM Package Pandit employees to work back in Kashmir against their will discretion and making them sacrificial goats at the alter of secular democracy. Forced rehabilitation of KPs will not serve any purpose. Thus it needs to be clarified that the re-establishmemt of the whole KP community back in valley need not be confused with this PM employment scheme. However, out of 6000 PM Package employees, only around 3000 employees got accommodation and the remaining 3000 employees are living at scattered rented accommodation across Kashmir without any security. Initially this Employment Package which was announced in the year 2009 comes with no conditionality but very cleverly the then state government of J&K ammended the advertisement with condition of serving a judicial agreement by the employee. All these things happened under a well knit policy so as to exploit the urge and needs of these Package employees. It is very sorry state of affairs that the present government is also treating these KP package employees as a separate category employees. The fact of the matter is that these employees are also the part and parcel of state establishment and thus should be treated as such. It seems like that the government is least bothered about mitigating the sufferings of the PM Package employees in particular and Kashmiri pandits in general. It is worrisome that the package employees are entangled between life and livelihood. At present, the ground condition for the living and working of Kashmiri Hindu employees is not conducive as targeted killings of non locals are happening unabetedly. Huge inflow of tourists in Kashmir has nothing to do with normalcy. It doesn’t reflect that all is well in valley. From the last 4 years we have witnessed selective and targeted killings of non local Hindus in Kashmir. The Innocent civilians are also being killed by the militants and as per reports some Pakistani foreign terrorists have intruded into J&K and are creating mayhem across various districts of this sensitive region. At present the situation is gruesome in Kashmir as non locals are being targeted. The recent targeted killings at shopian and Ganderbal districts of Kashmir has instilled a sense of fear among non locals and PM package employees. Thus, government must immediately provide Work From Home (WFH) option to all those PM Package employees who are living at rented places till proper secured accommodation be given to them. It is the duty and sole responsibility of the administration to provide best possible security to all non locals and Package employees so that their precious lives be saved from the enemies of humanity.
