Will regularise daily wagers; restore Roshi scheme if elected to power: Azad

Jammu, Oct 14: Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad Saturday reiterated that he would restore the Roshni scheme and regularise daily wagers, working in different departments if his party was elected to power in next assembly elections in J&K.

He, however, warned that everyone, including government and police officials, who used the scheme to usurp large chunks of land would face the law.

Azad was interacting with media and various delegations led by Sobat Ali provincial in-charge ST wing and a delegation by district president Udhampur Ashwani Khajuria.

Talking to reporters following interactions with delegations, Azad said that daily wagers, many of whom were getting Rs 5000-9000, had become overaged for other jobs. “They are married, have families to feed so they would be our first priority (for regularisation),” he said.

During the interactions with members of ST community, Azad was apprised by various issues by the delegations and he assured them they would be taken up for the redressal at appropriate quarters. Azad, however, asked them to intensify the party activities and reach out to the people at grassroots. While addressing the ST community leaders, Azad said the eviction drive to retrieve government land was “unlawful.”