Thousands of Jammu and Kashmir youth had opted for their careers in pharmacy and had completed medical assistant courses from different institutes recognized by the government. However, the Central Pharmacy Act has shattered their hopes by excluding them from candidates with bachelors or diploma in pharmacy. This means that medical assistants of J&K can neither apply for any government job nor can they avail pharmacy licenses to earn a dignified livelihood.
This is sheer discrimination with the qualified professional who have studied the same syllabus of pharmacy which is taught to the students of bachelors of diploma in pharmacy and is prescribed by the universities across the country.
The applicability of central pharmacy act to Jammu and Kashmir after October 2019, means around 30000 youth of J&K have been rendered ineligible for the government jobs and pharmacy licenses thus adding to the army of unemployed youth of this region.
If the medical assistants of J&K meet out the criteria adopted by the government in terms of syllabus taught in the colleges then why have been they excluded in the central pharmacy act? This is a question that needs answers and not excuses.
The government of India must act in this regard and widen the canvas of central pharmacy act in order to bring the J&K medical assistants within its ambit. This shall not only provide justice to those youth but will surely allay the apprehensions among them. Youth of J&K are not only bright and promising but also possess a zeal to work efficiently provided they are given a fair chance and level playing field.
The leadership of the country should take these issues very seriously and take measures which bring the unemployed youth of J&K more closer to the mainstream rather than compelling them to remain aloof from the system.
