J&K assembly passes recruitment bill

The Jammu and Kashmir assembly on Friday passed a bill banning inter-district recruitment in the state.

The bill was passed by a voice vote in the state assembly, though with an amendment reserving eight percent jobs for the Scheduled Castes category in all the districts in the state.

The bill was passed in the state assembly by a voice vote amid uproar by the opposition People Democratic Party and other members.

As the bill was being put to vote, the house witnessed pandemonium as PDP members went up in uproar against the amendment, which sought reserving eight percent vacancies for SCs candidates.

The speaker, Mohammad Akbar Lone, pronounced that the bill had been passed.

The PDP wanted the bill to be passed in original form without any amendment. However, the Congress party was in support of passing of the bill with the amendment with eight percent reservation for SC candidates.

Meanwhile, life in Jammu was paralysed on Friday in view of a strike called by the Bharatiya Janata Party against the bill which now bans inter-district recruitments in the state.

The BJP has been strongly opposing the bill along with other regional parties.

Shops were closed and traffic was off the roads in Jammu city where authorities have made adequate security arrangements to maintain law and order.