Jammu: J&K government has provided jobs to 24517 unemployed youth in different departments during 2012-13, Labour and Employment Minister Ajay Sadhotra on Friday told in Legislative Assembly.
He said 517 posts have been filled through State Public Service Commission, and 6642 through State Subordinate Services Selection Board during 2012-13  and under Centrally Sponsored Schemes  9725 persons have been appointed and District level recruiting  agencies have selected 7633 candidates.
Sadhotra was replying to a question by Mohammad Ashraf.
Replying to the supplementary of Shehnaz Ganai, Naeem Akhtar, Syed Rafiq Shah, Syed Asgar Ali, Jehangir Mir, Yashpal Sharma and Sheikh Ghulam Rasool, the minister assured them that the process of recruitment by different agencies would be further speeded up for the benefit of the persons applying for different posts.
Sadhotra said the government is serious about addressing the problem of unemployment in the state and has launched a comprehensive holistic program called SKEWPY to address the problem in which a target of providing employment to 5 lakh unemployed youth has been set for five years in government as well as private sector, besides this, the government is also providing hand holding support to unemployed youth in the form of Voluntary Service Allowance (VSA).
Replying to another question by Ravinder Kumar Sharma, the minister informed the House that as many as 3358 cases in respect of J&K Housing Board, SDA, SMC, JDA and JMC are pending for adjudication in High Court and different Subordinate courts of the State.
Giving agency-wise details of court cases, the Minister informed that there are 136 cases of J&K Housing Board, 217 cases of SDA and 1815 cases of SMC pending in the High Court and Subordinate Courts under adjudication for final settlement.
Similarly, 547 cases of JDA and 643 cases of JMC are also pending for final settlement.
The Minister further informed that as many as 115 encroachments have been removed from SMC land during the last three years, adding that no case of encroachment has been noticed on the JMC land during the corresponding period.  He said that two encroachments one each at Housing Colony Ompora, Budgam and Bagh-e- Mehtab had taken place and the matter is subjudice. The concerned authorities take timely action to remove the encroachments, if any illegal encroachment takes place on the SMC, JDA and SDA land, he maintained.
Replying to the supplementaries by Ghulam Qadir Pardesi, Ghulam Nabi Monga, Naresh Kumar Gupta, Dr. Shahnaz Ganai, B R Kundal and Mohammad Ashraf Mir, the Minister informed that the department is regularly pursuing the cases for their early settlement. The Government is working for formulating new Master Plan for the twin capital cities of the State, he added.

Reader correspondent