Worried about govt job in J&K? Love your language. Here is why

Zafar Choudhary. Updated: 11/15/2019 11:00:43 AM Front Page

Proficiency test: Murmu’s admin may protect jobs, languages too

Unintended Advantage
The story of languages in Jammu and Kashmir has always been more about chauvinism and hardly anything about practice. Even in the families of litterateurs, scholars and activists of regional languages the language of communication is Urdu, Hindi and lately English. If such a process is implemented, the languages will see a renaissance, a sense of belonging and protection which many feared threatened after taking down of special status


ZAFAR CHOUDHARY/SAHIL RASGOTRA


JAMMU: In view of rising concerns about protection of jobs in Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Girish Chandra Murmu administration appears to have taken a creative step which may have an unintended advantage as well.
Public reaction to the administrative and constitutional change of Jammu and Kashmir affected on 5 August 2019 is a well known story. Beyond anger and celebrations depending on historic political outlook of regions and communities, there is one central issue that potentially unites everyone across the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir -full protection of jobs and land for the natives. Politically this promise is being made at different levels, but technically the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act doesn’t hold out any such guarantee.
Three months after scrap of Article 35A and nullification of Article 370, even the staunchest of the advocates of special status abrogation are seeking answers to questions around protection of land and jobs. This also puts the BJP under tremendous pressure, a reflection of which was evident through party’s trouncing in the recently held Block Development Council elections, the first major political activity after the historic 5 August move.
A government order recently surfaced suggesting constitution of a panel to examine desirability of introducing a language paper for examination to various gazettes and non-gazetted services in the UT. Sources acquainted with these developments suggested that introduction of a language paper could be one of the potential steps to keep the competition and scope restricted to the residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
While the framing of this committee, the subsequent discussions and the possible output is a long distance measured in short time, eventually the recruitment process may include a compulsory paper from the languages of Jammu and Kashmir.
The sixth schedule of the constitution of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir included eight languages. Though the constitution is gone and so is Ladakh and with it Balti and Dardi languages, Jammu and Kashmir is left with six recognised languages -Dogri, Gojri, Kashmiri, Pahari, Punjabi and Shina. The recruitment process requiring the aspirants to take exam in one of the six regional languages will effectively ensure that aspirants from Jammu and Kashmir are able to land jobs.
As reported by this newspaper in its November 14 edition, alarm bells were raised when experts from two significantly large spoken languages -Gojari and Punjabi -were found missing from the government’s committee.
Since Gojari and Punjabi are spoken by millions outside the Jammu and Kashmir as well, some stakeholders suspected that these languages may not make it to the recruitment exams.
“It seems that someone has misled the Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu on the linguistic scenario of the region,” Sudershan Singh Wazir, a prominent Sikh leader had told The News Now on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Wazir, along with members of various Sikh organisations alleged that some bureaucrats with vested interests are keeping out the regional languages like Punjabi, Gojri and Urdu and even warned the administration to desist from creating a wedge between sections of society.
However, sources have suggested that all six languages will eventually be there.
“The committee held its maiden meeting at JKBOSE office in Rehari on Thursday afternoon and a decision on inclusion of all six languages has been taken,” a member of the said panel informed The News Now.
“The members have been asked to submit the syllabus as well as a sample paper for each of these six languages by Saturday,” the member said.
Interestingly, Urdu, the official language of Jammu and Kashmir for over a century and Hindi, the national language, will not be the part of exam, if at all such a pattern is implemented. Reasons are obvious: in that case the government jobs in Jammu and Kashmir will open up to pan India competition.


Comment on this Story