Bhalla asks LG Administration to give top priority to public grievances

Jammu: Former Minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla on Thursday said the spiraling prices of essential commodities has badly affected the middle classes and the poor families, which refuse to stabilize despite concern shown and promises made by the government. The sudden and massive rise in prices causes an all-round spiral effect on the prices of commodities that makes life of common people miserable. The prices of food grains have been rising continuously. The government should do something in this direction. Only then the real welfare of the masses can be ensured”, added Bhalla . While alleging BJP for hypocrisy over the inflation, Bhalla said that when the party was in opposition, its front line leaders wasted no time to lodge series of protest demonstrations at every nook and corner of the country against the price rise of essential commodities but now when the party came in power for the last 6 years, the inflation rate had peaked all-time high and broken all records with none of its leaders uttering a word over the soaring prices. Former minister while slams both central and J&K government for their failure to control rising inflation that has badly affected the domestic budget thereby making their life from bad to worst and making it extremely difficult for them to make their both ends meet. Seeking emergency measures to ensure no more job loss because of the pandemic situation, said that unemployment and inflation, which are all-time high in India, have pushed people to the verge of starvation where poor are attempting suicides. He was interacting with aggrieved persons of  Model Town ward-57  in Gandhi Nagar constituency to discuss issues arising due to the ongoing pandemic COVID-19 . Prominent among those present on the occasion include   Corporater Inderjeet Kour, Rajinder Singh Randhawa, Ashok Kumar, Lakhvinder Singh, Harbansh Singh, Davinder Singh, Madan Lal, Makhvinder Singh, SK Raina beside others.Former Minister  lamented that unemployment and inflation in Jammu and Kashmir were all time high, financial health of the people was not good while the present pandemic has snatched away the source of livelihood from billions.“Thousands of youth have gone jobless and their families are at the verge of starvation,” he said and demanded emergency measures to ensure no more job loss in all the sectors.He also urged upon the administration to streamline the salaries of all daily rated workers as they were not been paid for months and sometimes years together. He also urged the administration to regularize the services of all daily-rated workers to secure their future.The former Minister also demanded recruitment notification for vacancies of all the departments which are lying vacant since long to absorb educated youth that will also help in lowering down unemployment.Bhalla urged upon the administration of the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to pay urgent attention as public is suffering badly. BJP’s key election promise at national level was job creation. Criticizing the UPA government for failing to provide employment, the BJP manifesto stated that the country has been dragged through 10 years of jobless growth by the Congress-led UPA government. Under the broader economic revival, BJP will accord high priority to job creation and opportunities for entrepreneurship. Though reducing unemployment was a major goal of the BJP government in the country, but it has not been able to fulfill its promise of job creation in J&K.Nothing concrete has been done in this regard so far.”Though the government had asked the departments to convey the exact number of unemployed youth in Jammu and Kashmir, but however no formal communication has been located which contradicts the tall claim of the government to initiate the survey on this matter.

Former Minister claimed that Jammu and Kashmir has earned a distinction to have the highest number of unemployment rate in entire Northern India.Nearly 40 percent youth, in the age group of 15 to 30 years, are unemployed in Jammu and Kashmir and that the number was higher than the national level.One of the most disturbing problem in India has been the mounting rate of unemployment, both in the rural and urban sectors. In case of rural sector, there has been both educated and industrial unemployment. There is seasonal unemployment, Industrial unemployment, Educational unemployment, Technological unemployment and disguised unemployment. The responsible factor for unemployment are  excessive burden of population on cultivation; rapidly increasing population; low productivity in agriculture sector; defective educational system; defective economic planning. Unless this problem is solved, the future of India cannot be bright. There will be no peace and prosperity in the country if jobless person do not get a proper channel. More attention should be given otherwise this problem can make jobless youths go to wrong direction, added Bhalla.

 Bhalla said corona crisis has led to 10 crore people getting unemployed.”Millions are sitting unemployed today. Innumerable claims of inflation, poverty and unemployment have erupted in society. “The stoves of 40 crore families have been extinguished. What is the solution to their problems? how are those who lost jobs in this period coping with the situation? Will the rulers ever tell them?” he added.”How long will people spend their days on mere hopes and assurances?.He further said: “Colleges, factories, shops are closed. Malls, restaurants are closed. Local trains, public transport are at a standstill. Agricultural products are lying down. Wherever we go, there is nothing to hear or see except for despair. There are 2,50,000 educated young women and men in Jammu and Kashmir who are bearing the brunt of the lack of employment and struggle to find jobs due to the lack of a job policy — thus pushing them and their families’ backs to the wall. In Jammu and Kashmir, already facing turmoil over the decades, unemployment has become a serious concern and the percentage of unemployed youth is increasing with the poor absorption rate.Due to unemployment, marriages are not held at a proper time. It also causes depression and pushes youths towards drug addiction. It affects families and society as well. He added that there is a mismatch between the degrees of students and jobs, and after completing their education, youths are finding themselves unsuitable for jobs.It is high time to have an employment policy that has to be crafted in such a way that it keeps in mind the people who are graduating from universities,” he said. As the lack of jobs has hit hundreds hard, there is also large chunk of mass communication students who are jobless despite having secured their postgraduate degrees.

 Former Minister said that at a time when people are facing a hard time due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, soaring prices of essential commodities have doubled their woes. People are forced to purchase commodities at whatever prices fixed by the retailers who are charging anything between Rs 10 and Rs 20 in excess of the MRP on everything in the city markets. The authorities have failed to keep  strict vigil to prevent profiteering by the.“Be it wheat flour, pulses such as red gram, black gram and green gram,  vegetables, fruits ,the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities has increased monthly budget by over 40 per cent when compared to the previous months,he  said.  If the same continues for the next couple of months, the common man will be worst-affected, he said. “Steps should be taken by the authorities concerned to bring down the prices of the essential commodities in the interest of the common man,” he demanded.