by Khalid Bashir Gura
Srinagar
Jammu and Kashmir Khidmat Centre owners staged a protest at Press Enclave here on Tuesday against the alleged government apathy towards them.
Chanting pro-justice slogans, they said: “Till date no promised revenue-generating service has been made available to us by the J&K Bank on these centers, forcing us to suffer along with our families.”
The aggrieved association’s employees demanded security of jobs, framing of job policies and rehabilitation of Khidmat Centres employees on a permanent basis.
General Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir Khidmat Centre Association, Ali Muhammad said, “J& K bank had hired us in 2009 for e-governance related services will be routed through these outlets. In 2012 the bank promised that the outlets will be converted to Ultra Small branches. But despite repeated assurances, all these years with age we lost our hopes too. What are we supposed to do next? Where shall we go?”
The protesters said that continuous exploitation and overlooking for almost a decade has compelled the professionals with Khidmat Centres to demand permanent solution for their miseries.
They also said that this negligence has put the career of many well-educated youth at risk so the J&K Bank should engage those associated with these Centres as employees in the Bank.
The protesting Khidmat centre owners said that especially, since August 5, 2019, we are idle and unpaid. Our families are suffering and we don’t have enough money to feed our family.
“The education of our children is at stake. The high insecurity of job is always lurking at us. We used to provide various banking services. Most of the online services we used to provide on behalf of the bank have come halt,” said one of the employees working as village level entrepreneur on commission bases.
They said that there has been no assurance from the bank yet and if official apathy continues and our protests will be extended.
Despite approaching BJP Vice President Youth Morcha, Engineer Aijaz, nothing has really been done on the ground. In the press conference at Jammu recently he assured us that our issues will be resolved and demands fulfilled after his meeting with Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, said the protesting Khidmat centre owners.
They requested the government to come to their rescue under Save Youth Save nation realms.
