Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
CHANDIGARH, February 4: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh today promised to scrap the application fee for recruitments in government services after his party forms the government in the state.
Interacting with the girl students from various departments of the Panjab University here today, Capt Amarinder was told that the state government charges substantially large amount as fee for various recruitments.
The students disclosed that the government was deliberately charging large amount as application fee with the number of applicants running into tens of thousands even for a few vacancies with an obvious intention to make money.
“Despite not affording it and knowing it well that the vacancies are limited, we have to pay the fee”, a girl student said, while pointing out, compared to that the Union Public Service Commission charged a nominal application fee for recruitments.
Capt Amarinder observed that this must be yet another way of the bankrupt government to generate money. “But this is virtual cheating and robbery with the desperate and helpless unemployed who you know will pay any amount you charge as application fee even when the vacancies are very limited as compared to the number of applicants”, he said.
The girl students also raised the issue of discrimination and also suggested special reservation for women in the jobs. They also wanted that the education standards in the government run institutions must be improved.
One of the students from the department of law raised the issue of the virtual denial of justice to the women who separate from their husbands. They said, in most of the cases, the husbands misuse various legal loopholes and the women who get divorced either get no alimony or very nominal not enough to sustain them.
He also promised to look into the matter and if possible amend the law to fix a minimum amount for the alimony to be paid to the divorced women. “We will try to ensure that a lady who in the case of unfortunate circumstances of divorce at least gets reasonable sustenance from her husband”, he said.
They also demanded that besides the SC, STs and OBCs, the economically weaker sections from amongst the general categories must also be provided reservation. “A large number of students from the general category cannot afford studies leave aside jobs”, a student told the PCC president.
Capt Amarinder promised the students that he also favoured reservation for economically weaker sections without disturbing those who are already getting these benefits.
National Spokesperson of the Congress and former Union Minister Manish Tewari and Lt Gen TS Shergill were also present during the interaction.
