Abolition of Self Help Groups: A decision in haste

Yesterday a news item came into fore that the J&K government has decided to abolish Self Help Groups (associated with various Engineering Wings) & their Quota of 30% & to subsume these engineering Wings into Public Works Department. There would be setting up of a committee of Administrative secretaries to work on modalities for merger of over a dozen departments with PWD.  An overall estimate says that there are around 2500 such self help groups operating under various wings such as R&B, PMGSY, PHE, PDD etc across J&K comprising over 15500 degree and diploma engineers who are associated with these self help group since 2004. Now the question arises what prompted the Govt. to abolish these groups and what would be the future of those engineers who are working under these. Sources says there were complains of work culture and sub letting of the work allotted to them to the other contractors & some of them were even defunct. But if there were complains of irregularities it can be removed ,then what prompted the Govt to take such an arbitrary decision without consulting all the stake holders. The question arises what would be the future of those thousands of educated unemployed youth who are working under these departments from last 16 years and now  have crossed Age Bar. It is pertinent to mention that in the year 2004 when thousands of unemployed Diploma and Degree engineer were on protest in Srinagar and Jammu over the unemployment issue, then late Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed met with them at Mubarak Mandi Complex and express the inability of his government to accommodate such a big lot and instead asked them to take the lead and make self help groups and use their knowledge for the betterment of the society and thereby earn there vacation also. Isn't the abolition of these self help groups and resultant joblessness create furore and hue and cry among the youth and devoid them of jobs in already fragile atmosphere created due to COVID 19 disrupting the tranquility also. There also arises a question has the PWD (R&B) department has such a requisite capacity to handle such a broader mandate and what would be the hierarchical issues of the technical staff which would came into surface after the merger decision.

Author

You can send ur feedbacks on sambatimes79@gmail.com