Srinagar, Feb 11 : Budgam MLA Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi on Wednesday raised concerns in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly over pending subsidies under the Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP) and issues related to unemployment.
In his address, Mehdi sought the formation of a House committee solely to examine the reservation policy with the Government of India for early resolution. He emphasized that the current reservation policy excludes a majority of the population, limiting access to employment opportunities across the Union Territory.
Mehdi also highlighted delays in the release of subsidies under the REGP, which have been pending for three years, and urged the government to expedite their disbursal. He called for an audit of loan-based subsidies to determine how much debt has been converted into income, noting that such information is essential for transparency and effective monitoring.
“The subsidy under REGP, which is similar to the Youth Scheme, has been pending for three years. We need to know why it is delayed,” Mehdi said. He also pointed out that no audit has been conducted so far and the Assembly should be informed about the progress of loan-based subsidies.
On unemployment, Mehdi said the current reservation framework leaves large sections of the population without support. He added that the Chief Minister has worked on the issue and submitted the file to Delhi for consideration.
He urged the House to take prompt action to ensure that pending REGP subsidies are released, audits are conducted, and unemployment issues are addressed at the earliest.(KNS).
