Agencies | Srinagar:
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday said he had not witnessed any protests on the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, while reiterating the administration’s commitment to providing compassionate government jobs to the eligible next of kin of victims of terrorist violence.
Speaking to reporters after distributing appointment letters to the family members of terror victims, Sinha dismissed suggestions that protests were being held in different parts of the Union Territory to mark the anniversary of the constitutional changes of August 5, 2019.
“I haven’t seen any. If I do, I’ll speak to you about them,” the Lieutenant Governor said when asked about reports of demonstrations on the occasion.
Highlighting the government’s initiative to provide compassionate appointments, Sinha said many families affected by terrorist violence had been waiting for years despite legal provisions entitling them to government employment.
“These are families that suffered due to terrorist violence. Their next of kin had been waiting for a long time because the law provides for government jobs to such families. The process took considerable time, but we are making every effort to identify all such cases so that the closest eligible family member of every victim receives a government job,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor said a large number of appointment letters were handed over during the programme, describing the initiative as an effort to provide affected families with “an opportunity to live with dignity.”
Referring to the constitutional changes of August 5, 2019, Sinha described the day as one of “historic significance,” saying it marked the end of what he termed a “discriminatory system.”
