To appease Dalits, MLAs want job quota enforced

Jaswinder Singh Baidwan

Akhran da mureed
Staff member
The issue of jobs for Dalits, who comprise one-third of state’s population, dominated the Question Hour today with Assembly Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal asking the government to ensure the reservation policy was followed in contractual/outsourced jobs as well.
The matter was raised by Akali MLA Justice Nirmal Singh (retd). Intervening in arguments between legislators over the issue of ignoring reservation for SCs/BCs, the Speaker told Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal that reservation policy was not being followed in contractual and outsourced jobs.
He asked Sukhbir to find a way out to ensure its proper implementation.
The Deputy CM, in a response to Congress MLA Charanjit Channi’s allegation of the government being anti-Dalit, claimed that the government was committed to the welfare of Dalits. He said more MLAs from reserved classes were in the Akali Dal which proved that the Dalit population favoured them.
With about 32 per cent of state population being Dalits, both Akalis and Congress MLAs strongly raised issues concerning them. Justice Nirmal Singh took on Transport Minister Ajit Singh Kohar and Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani over the recruitment of Class III and IV employees.
Nirmal Singh, who is also chairman of the Welfare of SC/BC Organisation, said the mandatory representation for SCs/BCs was not provided in contractual and outsourced jobs in both transport and health sectors.
Kohar said as per reservation policy, 675 posts for SCs and 324 for BCs were kept reserved, of which only 358 SC employees and 204 BC employees were found eligible.
When Jyani said Class IV jobs were outsourced, Nirmal Singh pointed out that the government had to follow the reservation policy in this category also. He argued that the person or company to whom the jobs were outsourced had a contract with the government and hence, liable to follow the reservation policy. The Assembly could not take up another question on Dalits.
Govt ducks queries on sensitive issues
Chandigarh: The SAD-BJP government on Monday managed to duck queries on certain sensitive issues such as farmer suicides, illegal blue card holders and plots for homeless Dalits by seeking time to submit the reply. While Food and Supply Minister Adaish Partap Kairon sought time to reply to a question by his own party MLA Gobind Singh Longowal on the cancellation of blue card holders in Dhuri Assembly segment, Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia sought time for replying on the number of suicides cases in the farm sector from March, 2012 till date. Congress MLA Ajaib Singh Bhatti raised the issue of suicides. He also sought information on compensation paid and the existing policy. He and other party MLAs were livid when they were informed by the Speaker that the minister concerned had sought time. The Congress MLAs alleged the government was avoiding the issues as the current Assembly session was of a short duration, eight days with four effective sittings.
 
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