Youth who had been recruited under Nehru Yuva Kendra (NYK) Scheme in August 2019 in Jammu and Kashmir to channelize the ‘power and intelligence’ of youth and to bring them into mainstream on Saturday staged a protest alleging that the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has shown them door before the expiry of the dateline.

“The Ministry followed the policy of ‘use and throw,” the protesting volunteers who staged a protest at Press Enclave Srinagar told News Agency Kashmir News Trust.
Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), an autonomous organization under Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, within the Government of India is the largest and unique grass root level youth organization which integrates ‘power of the youth based on the principle of voluntarism, self-help and community participation.’
“We were appointed in August 2019 and used to get Rs 5,000 honorarium per month. Our job was to channelize power of youth. Due to lockdown, we couldn’t focus on the job assigned to us. But Government availed our services during lockdown period. We acted as volunteers outside banks, government offices, ration ghats to ensure social distancing during lock-down period,” Malik Abdul Moomin, who was leading the protest, said.
He said the irony is that after availing the services of recruited youth during lockdown period, now the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has started a new recruitment drive. “We have been shown door even before the expiry of date line that is August 2021. This is injustice towards the youth of Kashmir,”Malik said.
Another youth Haseeb Iqbal said that they have gone into depression. “We were working really hard but still being asked to vacate. This is sheer exploitation,” he said.
Junaid Bhat who was also part of the protest SAID that Union Sports Minister Kiran Rijju had assured them during a live interaction in Ganderbal that their jobs are secure. “We were used and exploited and now ignored. Same thing will happen to those youth who will be recruited now,” he said and sought intervention of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.
An official from Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan said that they recruit youth for 2 years only and during that period the recruited ones work on honorarium. “New recruitment takes places after ever two years,” he said adding those recruited in August 2019 will get the honorarium till August 2021.