The contractual employees working under Central sponsored Scheme, Saakshar Bharat Mission (SBM) demanding regularisation of their services Thursday started 48 hours Hunger strike protest here in Srinagar.Scores of protesting employees from various districts of Kashmir Valley assembled here in partap park under the banner of All Jammu and Kashmir and raised slogans against the government for not fulfill their demands.They alleged that they demand their regularisation and adjustment in new scheme namely “Padina Likhna Abhiyaan” which is going to be launched on September 8 on International Literacy Day.President of All J&K Saakshar Bharat Mission Mission (SBM) employee’s forum, Ishfaq Ahmad Shah said they have completed six years of services in the education department but the government was “neglecting” them.Riyaz-ul-Haq Shah, one of the employees from Budgam district said that despite repeated pleas to the higher authorities, the demands were not met. “We approached the Government and higher officials of the concerned department for our regularization and we were promised that the regularization would be completed in near future but the regularization file is still stuck in Education Department due to unknown reasons,” he said.
Riyaz said the employees are being paid a meager amount per month as salary that is not sufficient according to the Minimum Wages Act. “Due to the insufficient salary, all the employees and their families are in mental trauma. Besides, our salary of 30 months is pending,” he said.The employees further claimed that their services are being utilized for examination duty, academic support, elections and other surveys but nothing is being done for the regularization. “Government made a road map for daily rated workers but they have ignored us completely.Last year, we presented the job policy that was forwarded to Education Minister who forwarded the same to Director Education and communications were made to all quarters of J&K vide Edu/plan-Se/618/2017-18 dated 05-09-2018 and Joint Director Planning received positive comments from all CEOs of J&K but the further process has now been in Education office,” they said. (PTK)