Seeking quota for jobs to locals, students set to stage protests

The Punjab Students Union has declared to hold demonstrations at various towns where the upcoming bypolls are scheduled over reservation in jobs to people of Punjab and to make education a state subject. They said they would hold agitations at Giddarbaha on November 6, Barnala on 7 and Chabbewal on November 11.

PSU state president Ranveer Singh Kurr and general secretary Amandeep Singh Khiowali and press secretary Mangaljit Pandori, addressing a press conference in Jalandhar, today said 90 per cent reservation should be given to Punjabis in government jobs. A large number of people from other states were being given jobs.

Union members said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had raised this demand, when he was an MP regarding 71 per cent of the recruitments in the electricity board being from other states. But, union members said when the Mann government is in power, there is no law to give reservation to Punjabis in government jobs.

The leaders demanded that resident certificates should be issued to those who have been the residents of Punjab for 10 years. Only they should be given jobs. Strict action should be taken against those who produce wrong resident certificates. Marks received in Punjabi paper should also be recorded in the merit list for the job. They said in states like Haryana, HP, Chhattisgarh, etc, there is reservation in jobs for the local youth.

The members said education should be made a State Subject rather than being centralised. Each state can make its own education policy according to its conditions. To get the demands implemented, union leaders will oppose the government on the sidelines of the byelections through demonstrations.

Stir from nov 6

They will hold agitations at Giddarbaha on November 6, Barnala on 7 and Chabbewal

on November 11.