Jammu Tawi, Jan 09: Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Saturday reacted to the enforcement of SRO-103 that has unjustifiably reduced the age bar for civil services aspirants by five years.
Bukhari termed the new rules arbitrary in nature and demanded immediate roll back of the SRO-103. “Such capricious rules are fraught with dangerous consequences,” Bukhari observed.
He said the implementation of this SRO will not only impede the participation of those KAS aspirants who have crossed the age limit of 32 but will also add to the rising levels of frustration among unemployed youth in J&K. “It will be a sheer injustice with those aspirants who for the past five years have toiled so hard, day and night, to participate in the upcoming KAS-2021 examination,” Bukhari said.
Apni Party President said the applicability of SRO-130 has come as a bolt out of the blue for the civil services aspirants across Jammu and Kashmir. “It is quite exasperating for our qualified youth who want to pursue their careers in the civil services.”
He said the youth in J&K have already been facing the tide of unemployment and now this move will make the situation further gloomy. “There is no reason to reduce the age limit of civil services aspirants to 32 when the upper age limit in rest of the country even exceeds 38 and 40,” he said. He appealed to the government to roll back this new amendment and provide a respite to the resenting KAS aspirants who currently are in a condition of extreme distress.
“I appeal to the Government of India and in particular to the Lt. Governor of J&K to address the genuine grievances of civil services aspirants of J&K by repealing the SRO-130. We must realize that J&K youth want to excel in all the fields especially in the civil services provided they are given a level playing field and encouragement,” he added.
National Conference also on Saturday lambasted the J&K government's decision to reduce the age of eligibility for civil service aspirants by five years terming the step a stab into the future of the youth here.
Party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said the situation in Kashmir had grossly narrowed the career opportunities' of youth in J&K.
He said that given the scenario and to help the aspirants who have not been able to pursue their careers due to it, the previous Governments had increased the age of eligibility. He said classes and academic calendars, as well as qualifying exams and interviews for jobs and services all took a hit in Kashmir in the past few years.
“In the recent years, we have seen how the participation of Kashmiris has shrunk in J&K administration. This move will worsen it further,” he said.
“The implementation of SRO -103 has put the future of our unemployed youth in lurch and that iniquitous reduction in the upper age limit of the civil services aspirants by five years will further push our youth to the wall. On one hand the government is promising to give more jobs to youth, but on the other hand the already existing job avenues are being closed for unemployed and educated youth. Such an injudicious and whimsical decision will disappoint scores of such aspirants who have been burning midnight oil for many years now. There are many such aspirants, who are taking coaching for the exams in other parts of the country, the decision will shock them as well,” Imran said.
He demanded that the government must immediately roll back this decision and give our youth equitable chances in civil services.
