Srinagar, March 12 -- On a positive note, the government has decided to set up a committee for regularization of the services of daily wagers, ad-hoc workers, and contractual employees, who are more than 67,000 in number. They form the backbone of essential services, yet they earn meager wages and consequently are in a constant state of insecurity.

That said, the government can hire more: Nearly 32,474 vacancies exist in government departments, yet only 3,727 posts have been referred for recruitment in recent months. So, it would be in the fitness of things that the elected government expedite the recruitment process and ensure these posts are filled in a time-bound manner.

However, the overall employment scenario in J&K remains bleak, ...