Updated on: Monday, August 12, 2013
Jharkhand HRD Minister Geetashree Oraon said educated locals should be entitled to government employment and not MGNREGA jobs.
"My individual desire is that educated local people should be given priority in employment," Oraon told reporters here.
She cited examples as to how other states were giving their local people preference in government jobs right at the filling up of form stage.
Recalling how she had seen despondency in educated local unemployed youth in the state, Oraon expressed concern over their future if they did not get government jobs in the state.
"What, only MGNREGA (type jobs) is the only place for them for Rozgar (employment)?" she asked.
The minister further asked if educated people felt disappointed following unemployment then what was the justification in the creation of Jharkhand state.
Oraon, however, made it clear that it was her individual opinion to give priority to locals in government jobs, and defining a domicile policy would be taken by all the allies in the Hemant Soren-led government.
"I have made it clear that I am not authorised as to what should be the definition of the domicile policy. The matter will be kept in the (coalition’s) Coordination Committee and all the allies will place their views and opinions. They will define the definition of domicile policy," she said.
On July 29, Chief Minister Hemant Soren and leaders of his allies Congress, RJD and others had announced that a special committee would define the state’s domicile policy.