Chandigarh, 5 September(Wishav Warta): The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today described the “mega job fair” held today as a mega fraud on the youth of Punjab who had been denied government jobs and instead been handed over offer letters of private companies which they were already getting under regular placement drives held by technical institutions.
In a statement here, former minister and SAD general secretary Bikram Singh Majithia said it was unfortunate that a bogus programme had been given the nomenclature of Rozgar Mela and was being touted as fulfillment of the ghar ghar naukari promise made by the Congress party prior to the assembly elections.
Mr Majithia said the Congress government had not gone in for any recruitment and had not even filled vacant posts in government departments. If one were to take the Congress promise of ghar ghar yojna at face value then its government needs to create one lakh jobs per month cater to 50 to 60 lakh households in the State”, he added.
The Akali leader said the manner in which the so called Rozgar Mela was held was a shame and had left a blot on government functioning. “Technical Education minister Charanjit Channi has refused to lay down criteria for recruitment under the Rozgar Mela despite requests and protests by students. Consequently, students have been offered salaries which are even below the minimum wages prescribed for daily wagers. “Even these pay packets are being offered along with two year job bonds which is sheer exploitation of students”, he added.
The SAD Spokesman said this was not all. Despite the fact that the entire placement drive of technical institutions had been taken under its wing by the Technical Education department, Channi had not formulated any reservation policy to encourage recruitment of dalits and weaker sections of society. “Channi likes to project himself a champion for dalit causes, but he has failed to protect the rights of dalits and weaker sections. He must answer why no reservation policy had been made part and parcel of the so called Rozgar Mela”, he added.
Majithia said it was strange that while all the 21 purported job fairs held by the government had failed, the government had devised another trick to dupe students. “The government has signed rampant mou’s with private companies with the avowed purpose of giving employment to youth. The fate of these mou’s is to be seen as the corporate sector at today’s function was more interested in getting its demand for power at Rs five per unit implemented by the State government. Moreover how will these mou’s succeed when the current placement drive has failed with youth themselves rejecting the lowly paid job offers? If the government had been sincere in its effort it would have got the majority of four lakh students who applied for jobs under the placement drive adjusted right now only instead of placement given to only 8,000 to 10,000 students. What is the need to sign mou’s? Isn’t this another fraud being played on the youth?”
Stating that all these facts proved that the Congress government did not have any intention to fulfill its poll promise of providing a job in each family, he said it was now clear that the promise had been made only to attract youth votes. “More such false promises were made including free mobile phones which the youth are still coming to grip with”. Majithia said the Congress government would not be allowed to get away by cheating the youth. We will create a public movement against all the frauds perpetrated by the Congress party against Punjabi youth. “We will start a movement to fill all government vacancies as well as genuine placement in private companies as per qualifications and merit along with appropriate reservation”, he added.
