Srinagar, May 25: Even as around 1200 posts are lying vacant in the Forest Department on account of the abandonment of the recruitment process for the past two decades, around 900 unemployed forest graduates are awaiting employment under Rehbar-e-Janglat scheme.
 The Forest department, of late, has referred the posts to the recruitment agencies—Public Service Commission and the Service Selection Board. But till the time posts are filled, the department has decided to employ forest graduates under Rehbar-e-Janglat scheme. Under the scheme, the government has a provision to induct unemployed forest graduates in the department on a consolidated amount of Rs 1500 per month. Youths have been inducted on similar pattern in other departments including Education, Health and Agriculture.
 “Around 900 forest graduates are presently unemployed. Many of them are now crossing the maximum age bar but no one has been inducted in the department till now,” Nazir Ahmad Bhat, Secretary of Forest Graduates Association said.
 He said for the past many months, they were assured that they would be inducted under ReJ scheme. “We were given assurances but nothing has happened so far. The government is dilly-dallying,” he said.
 Commissioner Secretary, Forest department, Shant Manu told Greater Kashmir that the proposal for inducting the forest graduates under ReJ scheme has been forwarded to the Finance department.
 “We have forwarded the proposal to the Finance department and the process is underway,” Manu said.
 Minister for Finance, Abdul Rahim Rather, told Greater Kashmir that Finance department hasn’t received any such proposal.
 “A delegation of unemployed forest graduates visited me today. I also told them that we haven’t received any such proposal,” he said.
 “Once we get it we will dispose it off,” he asserted.
 Sources in the Forest department said that no recruitment has been made in the department since 1984. Some 1080 non-Gazetted posts, 41 posts of Assistant Conservator Forest and 73 posts of Rangers are presently lying vacant.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 25 May 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 25 May 2010 18:30:00 GMT
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