By Jehangir Ali
Srinagar: Two candidates from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have been shortlisted for the posts of ‘cluster development executive’ and ‘textile designer’ by the directorate of handlooms and handicrafts in Jammu, triggering anger in the region which is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stronghold.
The selection of candidates from UP and MP for government jobs in J&K has become possible after the reading down of Article 370 and Article 35-A. This controversy has come at a time when the Union Territory is grappling with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country.
After a government notice revealing the background of the candidates circulated on social media, a number of Jammu-based social and political activists described the shortlisting of “outsiders” for jobs in Jammu as an assault on the livelihood of locals.
In the notice, released on Tuesday (October 15), the joint director of handlooms, Jammu, said that six candidates have been shortlisted for one post of ‘cluster development executive’ in Kathua’s Basohli Pashmina Cluster. The notice asked the shortlisted candidates to appear for interviews before the official selection committee.
The interviews are scheduled to be held at the directorate of handlooms and handicrafts in Jammu’s Panama Chowk at 11: 30 am on October 22, the notice said.
What triggered anger in Jammu region was that one of the six shortlisted candidates hails from Padana Sarangpur village in Rajgarh district of Madhya Pradesh while another is a resident of the village of Bambhura in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district.
The remaining four candidates are from Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
