A day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar decided to provide government jobs to the next kin of any SC/ST person killed in the State, Leader of the Opposition and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday said the move, “was like encouraging murder of SC/ST people”.
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With an eye on the polls scheduled for later this year, Mr. Yadav listed several measures to deal with unemployment in the State, if the RJD was voted to power.
“Since polls are nearing, Nitish Kumar has announced government jobs to the kin of SC/ST person killed in Bihar. Why shouldn’t jobs be given to kin of people of OBC, or general category, who are killed? This is like encouraging murder of SC/ST people,” Mr. Tejashwi Yadav said, while addressing media persons in Patna.
Govt. vacancies
He further said Bihar has one of the highest unemployment rates in India at 46%. “Around 4.5 lakh posts are vacant in different departments of the State government…if given a chance, our government will fill all the vacant posts and create new vacancies in proportion to population,” he promised.
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Mr Yadav also also launched a website (www.berozgarihatao.co.in) and toll free number (933 430 2020) for unemployed youths to register so that his government could work speedily on creating employment in the State once it was voted in.
“While discussing with experts, we’ve made a comprehensive plan for employment generation which could ensure that any able person will get a job according to their skill sets,” he said, adding that “our government would make all backlogs into a mega drive and all competitive tests will be regularized with new vacancies in all departments in proportion of the employees.”
The RJD leader said, “I think the biggest problem in Bihar is of unemployment and every government’s first, second, third and last priority should be of its removal… Today I’m promising that our government’s priority will be to create employment in the State.”
Earlier on Friday, Mr. Nitish Kumar had directed the SC/ST Welfare Secretary to frame rules to give government jobs to the next kin of any SC/ST person killed in the State. He also asked the department secretary to complete the probe into all pending cases lodged under SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1995 by September 20.
Leader of the Hindustanti Awam Morcha (Secular) and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who joined forces with the NDA earlier this week, slammed Mr. Tejashwi Yadav’s remarks. Mr Manjhi tweeted: “those people who are opposing Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s decision... are requested to read the following Central Act…this law is of 1989 under which section 3(2)5 there is a provision to provide employment and other things.”
