Omar Abdullah says it is humanitarian issue; BJP stages walkout

Jammu, Mar 11 : The Legislative Assembly on Tuesday witnessed uproarious scenes over police action against the protesting daily-wagers.

After the Question Hour ended, as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa raised the issue of police action against the protesting daily-wagers in Jammu on Monday. Responding to Randhawa, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the police action was unfortunate and that he would speak on the issues of daily-wagers during the demand for grants of departments under him.

“The police is neither in my control nor your( Randhawa) control. Rather than raising a hue and cry over the issue, you should have voiced concern with the place which is a few kilometers away from this place where their control lies, “Omar said.

Omar further said that the issues of daily-wagers are genuine and that “it is not a financial issue but a humanitarian issue.”

He added, “Lathis shouldn’t have been rained on them. I am sure this concern would have reached the police.”

As BJP legislators demanded regularization of daily-wagers, National Conference (NC) MLAs stood up, accusing them of doing nothing for daily-wagers during the past 10 years. “Shame, Shame,” the NC legislators shouted at BJP. The House witnessed chaotic scenes for 10 minutes, with NC and BJP legislators shouting slogans against each other.

“Dailywageron Ko Pakka Karo (regularize daily-wagers),” BJP legislators shouted.

Amid slogans and counter-slogans, the BJP legislators staged a walkout, accusing NC of betraying daily-wagers—(KNO)

Waris Fayaz

Srinagar, Mar 10 : The Jammu and Kashmir Government on Monday said that it provided employment opportunities to 4,893 skilled and unskilled youth in the past two-years through job fairs conducted across the Union Territory.

An official data, accessed by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) revealed: “In two years 2,760 companies participated in 246 job fairs and 1,36,200 job seekers registered themselves during these events. Of them, 39,782 candidates were shortlisted for second-round counselling, while 4,893 youth secured on the spot employment.”

“In the financial year 2022-23, the department organized 84 job fairs with the participation of 878 companies and 45,447 job seekers. As a result, 14,014 candidates were shortlisted, while 1,761 job seekers got on-spot placements, and 2,978 youth were recommended for skill training,” the data revealed, as per KNO.

“In the subsequent year (2023-24), the government increased the outreach, conducting 106 job fairs, engaging 1,412 companies and 72,175 job seekers. This resulted in 20,754 candidates being shortlisted, 1,902 getting on-spot placements, and 2,807 being recommended for skill training,” it added.

“In the ongoing fiscal year 2024-25 (up to February 2025), 56 job fairs were held, 470 companies participated, and 18,578 job seekers registered. Among them, 5,014 were shortlisted, while 1,230 candidates secured on-spot placements. Additionally, 855 youth were recommended for skill training,” the data revealed.

Replying to a query posed by MLA Sham Lal Sharma during the ongoing Assembly session, Minister Incharge as per KNO, confirmed that the government intends to devise a policy focused on job creation in the private sector through multiple schemes and initiatives designed to enhance employment opportunities for the youth.

He stated that the registration of unemployed educated youth on the “Employment Portal” is a voluntary process, allowing job seekers to avail self-employment schemes and job opportunities provided by various departments.

“As of January 2025, a total of 3,70,811 unemployed youth have been registered on the Employment Portal,” the government reply disclosed, as per KNO.

4.73 LAKH INDIVIDUALS NOT WORKING BUT WILLING TO WORK

Additionally, as part of a Baseline Survey, the government revealed that a total of 4.73 lakh individuals, within the 18-60 age group, have reported being “not working but willing to work” across the UT of Jammu and Kashmir. This figure emerged from a survey that covered 54.8 lakh individuals.

According to the official data, the highest number of registrations have been recorded from candidates with educational qualifications up to 10+2, totaling 2,24,495. This is followed by 66,628 graduates, 47,114 postgraduates, and 15,396 degree holders who have enlisted themselves in search of employment.

The data also highlights that 9,884 diploma holders, 1,589 draftsmen, and 2,883 ITI trained youth are part of the registered unemployed workforce. Additionally, 1,021 candidates possessing skills other than ITI training have also been registered.

The department clarified that the registration process is purely voluntary and not mandatory, indicating that the actual number of unemployed youth in the UT could be higher than the recorded figures.

It is noteworthy that, under Mission YUVA, the department has surveyed a total of 4,73,936 individuals across the Union Territory (UT) to assess their educational qualifications and employment status.

The survey indicates that the highest number of individuals surveyed belong to the Higher Secondary (10+2) category, with 1,26,059 individuals, followed by 98,466 graduates and 70,428 postgraduates.

According to the survey, 95,914 individuals had completed secondary-level education, while 44,908 individuals had only completed middle-level education.

Additionally, 10,994 individuals were recorded with primary-level education, while 1,745 individuals had education below primary level.

Interestingly, the survey also recorded 24,594 illiterate individuals across the UT, while 828 individuals were found to be literate with formal education.

The Labour and Employment department reiterated that the government is aiming to effectively utilize the workforce through initiatives like Mumkin, Tejaswini, and Spurring Entrepreneurship Initiatives under Mission Youth to promote self-employment opportunities—(KNO)