Former Minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla on Thursday took a swipe at BJP Govt over the paltry financial assistance of Rs 675 per kanal compensation to rain hit farmers in district Jammu leaving affected farmers in Jammu disappointed with the “meagre” relief. He was addressing party workers of Gandhi Nagar constituency.”Farmers were expecting LG would announce a major relief package for them. But Rs 675 per kanal compensation is very less,” Bhalla said.Bhalla admitted that the announced amount was very low, but does BJP have courage to condemn the same and stand behind farmers? There is a difference between what BJP leaders are saying and their actual action,” Bhalla said.The paddy crops suffered heavy damage due to heavy rains in the entire paddy growing border belt of Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts and several other parts of Jammu region,” Bhalla said.He urged the administration to immediately reassess the overall damage and announce an adequate special relief package for the affected farmers.
“The farmers are in great distress in the entire rice-growing belt of R S Pura, Suchetgarh, Bishnah, parts of Samba, Hiranagar areas of Kathua, Marh, Kanachack and several other parts,” he added. Seeking adequate ex-gratia relief and compensation to the affected farmers, Bhalla said that farmers are worst neglected and sufferers in the BJP regime in the country and the slogan of Modi Govt to double the income of farmers has proved to be a hollow.Bhalla said that Rahul Gandhi committed waiver of loans to farmers in MP and Rajasthan and it was done within days of Congress coming to power there but BJP has betrayed the farmers in the country by mere slogans, while farmers continue to suffer for genuine claims and rights. He said that the Congress has forced the Modi Govt to take a U- turn on several occasions with regard to farmers policies. However, BJP Govt has only framed policies for the sake of advertisements only but the farmers are not getting adequate minimum support price and crop compensation. Bhalla lashed out at the BJP Govt for neglecting the farmers in the country, who are in great distress all over. BJP Govt is expert to hoodwink the farmers but in reality the farmers are not getting due attention who are the backbone of the country. The pro-rich policies of Modi Govt have hit the farmers hard and they are not getting the proper rates of their produce to sustain.
Bhalla said that the State of Jammu and Kashmir has been reduced to the level of administrative unit and the glory of the State has been snatched and ruined at the hands of BJP. He added that even after formal transition of J&K from State to UT on October 31, the issue of domicile safeguard and job safety and security has been left unaddressed. The future of lakhs of unemployed youth is in jeopardy, he added. Bhalla demanded reservation of the J&K government jobs for locals, saying unemployment has alarmingly grown during the recent years.”J&K government jobs are for local educated unemployed youths and should be reserved for them only,” he said.He expressed concern over limited avenues of employment in J&K, saying a thrust is needed to be laid on a fast-track recruitment process and to put in place a robust mechanism of employability. Bhalla demanded the launch of a pro-active and fast-track drive by the government to fill up vacancies in various departments by local youths.
Bhalla said that present dispensation is turning a blind eye towards the apprehensions and concerns of people of the J&K, especially Jammu region. Taking a dig at Union Govt, Bhalla claimed that Jammu region is reeling under shortage of various basic requirements but Govt is unmoved. He said Govt lacks approach which is based on consistency, clarity, conviction and creating only mess making people to suffer unnecessarily without any fault of theirs. He observed that under BJP regime in the Centre, poor people are not able to have two square meals due to sky-rocketing prices. Bhalla said that Govt in a bid to demonstrate its powers and authority had resorted to such undemocratic move which was not in tune with the concept of liberal democracy. Ridiculing the argument that mobile internet ban had been imposed to prevent its misuse by anti-nationals; Bhalla said that Govt can’t give collective punishment to society for the sins of a handful of offenders. If there are apprehensions of misuse of internet services by miscreants, this doesn’t mean that the entire system should be made to suffer.
Bhalla also expressed concern over prolonged protest of contractual lecturers, many of the contractual employees have crossed their upper age limit for employment and government watches indifferently. “The government needs to address the genuine demands of the contractual lecturers in the earliest so that their lives and careers are saved. Their salary and other stipends have to be at par with those of permanent lecturers of Colleges. Like RTs the contractual lecturers need to be given permanent employment on time-bound pattern. Security of job is a pre-condition for quality education we want our young generation excel in. Unless a teacher is ensured the dignity and better working conditions that dream remains elusive, teaching learning experience will be ineffective, Bhalla added.