Slams PDP over “brownie points” on outsourcing issue
Srinagar, June 26: J&K Peoples Conference president and MLA Handwara Sajad Lone on Friday said that the outsourcing of government jobs poses a far greater threat to employment in Jammu and Kashmir than backdoor appointments, accusing the National Conference (NC) government of converting public sector posts into privately managed positions.
Lone said the ongoing debate over employment practices was being distorted for political gains, cautioning that mischaracterising outsourcing as backdoor appointments undermines the seriousness of the issue affecting thousands of young job-seekers.
“These are not backdoor appointments. These are outsourced government jobs, and the distinction is extremely important,” he said, adding that the government itself had confirmed in the Assembly that around 25,000 posts had been outsourced.
He described outsourcing as a “systematic privatisation of public employment,” arguing that it creates a structure where private agencies and the ruling establishment benefit at the cost of job security for ordinary youth. He warned that such a system makes employment unstable, with future governments free to change outsourcing agencies, leaving workers vulnerable.
Lone also referred to the outsourcing of posts under Mission Vatsalya (formerly ICPS), saying he had originally helped establish the child protection framework during his tenure as Social Welfare Minister, including district-level protection mechanisms.
He said that after 2019, the then administration had attempted to outsource ICPS appointments and terminate contractual workers, a move he had opposed. While court intervention stayed parts of the decision, he said several recruitments remained unresolved.
Expressing disappointment, Lone said he had expected the elected government to reverse these decisions, but instead it had proceeded with outsourcing remaining ICPS posts. He criticised the government’s responses in the Assembly as “arrogant” and evasive.
Referring to the NC’s poll promises, Lone said the party had pledged to create one lakh government jobs but had instead converted thousands of government posts into outsourced positions. He said he would soon release a detailed case study on the issue.
He also urged the PDP not to confuse outsourcing with backdoor appointments for political convenience, saying such misrepresentation allows the NC to escape accountability.
