VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Mar 24: The Jharkhand government has no intention to amend a rule of the employment policy in which native candidates from the unreserved category have to mandatorily pass their matriculation and intermediate from any institutions of Jharkhand.
The questions were raised by BJP’s Narayan Das. Later on, BJP’s Dhullu Mahto also joined the debate on this issue. Narayan Das said while restriction was imposed on the candidates of unreserved category while rest belonging to reserved categories have been exempted from mandatory schooling from Jharkhand.
Narayan Das wanted to know whether the Hemant Soren government has any intention to amend the rule since the special clause for the unreserved category was discriminatory in nature.
Answering on the behalf of the government, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Rural Development Alamgir Alam said that the government made this rule so that natives of Jharkhand get the job opportunity.
“As such the government has no plan to bring any change in the rule. Several advertisements for recruitment have already been published,” the minister replied. The minister thrice repeated the same reply.
Intervening in the debate, Dhullu Mahto said the policy of the government goes against the principle of equality of opportunity.
“This is against Article 16 of the Indian Constitution. If SC and ST aspirants are exempted from mandatory schooling then the same should be in the case of the unserved category. Is this their fault that they are making both ends meet outside of Jharkhand and trying to provide education to children?” said Dhullu Mahto.
He gave the example of how during the Covid 19 pandemic people of all castes and religions returned to their homes in Jharkhand and they are trying to earn their livelihoods. He deplored that while Jharkhandis are ill-treated and driven out in other states now they are discriminated against in their own state also.
Congress’ Mahagama MLA Dipika Pandey Singh had raised a similar question. Raising the issue of her constituency that shares a border with Bihar she said that often people of her constituency enroll in schools and colleges of Bhagalpur district in Bihar for good education. But after the new employment policy, students of the general category are in a disadvantageous position. She said that they can’t apply for teachers’ recruitment.
