Kashmiri Pandits returning to Jammu and Kashmir to get reservation in govt jobs -

Srinagar: – Job opportunities have been opened up for the Kashmiri Pandits, who are returning to Jammu and Kashmir. There are nearly 2,000 posts kept reserved for the returning Kashmiri Pandit youth, and they will get filled soon. The Kashmir administration took this decision during a meeting presided over by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.

Kashmiri Pandits returning to Jammu and Kashmir will be given jobs in administration under the Prime Minister package. The Jammu and Kashmir administration issued permission for written tests and skills assessment for these jobs in the administration. Many posts in the disaster management, rehabilitation and construction departments have been kept reserved for the Kashmiri Pandit youth.

Sanction has been awarded for filling 1997 vacancies. These include 997 posts in the finance department, 150 posts in agriculture and farmer welfare department, 300 posts in food and consumer department and 550 posts are in the fourth grade in the tax department. The administration said that these posts would be filled strictly on merit.

3,000 posts were to be filled under the Prime Minister Employment Package, announced in 2015. Only 806 positions out of these have been filled. Whereas, the remaining 1,197 posts have been reserved for the Kashmiri Pandits. This will create permanent employment for the Kashmiri Pandits planning to settle in Kashmir, once again.

Meanwhile, terrorists had massacred Kashmiri Pandits on a mass scale in the 1990 decade. The Kashmiri Pandits had to face atrocities. Therefore, Kashmiri Pandits had to leave all their houses, properties and shops behind and flee from Kashmir. The moves to resettle Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir have gained momentum since the abrogation of Article 370 last year. Some Kashmiri Pandit families have already returned to the Kashmir Valley. The decision becomes vital in view of these developments.