New Delhi, February 24 – Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy expressed concern on Tuesday over the state government's failure to fill vacant government positions and warned the government not to dismiss the protests by unemployed youth.
He stated that the state government should not ignore the fact that a large number of job seekers have taken to the streets in Dharwad. He said that the youth have been forced to protest due to the government's negligence in filling vacant positions in a timely manner.
He also extended support to the protesting youth, urging them to ensure their protest remains peaceful and assuring them that he stands with them.
Kumaraswamy said that 2.94 lakh government positions are currently vacant in the state, while only positions at the cabinet level are being filled at a "super-fast" pace. This reflects the priorities of the Congress government, he said.
According to the report of the Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission headed by R.V. Deshpande, there are 7 lakh unemployed people in the state. All of them are waiting for government jobs, and the vacancies should have been filled in a phased manner. Instead, the government has wasted three valuable years in internal power struggles and has no time to focus on the youth, he criticised.
Kumaraswamy warned that unemployment is not a simple issue, but a constantly erupting volcano, and the government must not forget this. He said that the authorities should have acted by now by allocating separate funds in the budget and initiating the recruitment process.
He pointed out that the highest number of vacancies exists in the education, health, and police departments.
He alleged that there are no inspectors at 18 key police stations in Bengaluru city and blamed the situation on the government's preoccupation with transfer-related matters.
He said that these factors are directly affecting governance and urged the government to take immediate steps to fill vacant positions.
He also called on the government to come down from the third floor of Vidhana Soudha and listen to the voices of the youth, warning that otherwise the Congress government will have to pay a price for their anger.