The Jammu and Kashmir Governor, Satya Pal Malik on Thursday announced a mass recruitment drive to fill up to 50,000 vacancies in government departments in Kashmir and signalled it would further lift communication restrictions in parts of the state.

Read also: Centre scraps Article 370, bifurcates J&K into two Union Territories

The governor made the announcement just hours after the Supreme Court agreed to hear a petition challenging the constitutionality of Central government’s decision to scrap Kashmir’s autonomy. The Apex Court on Wednesday refused to immediately lift state-wide lock-down on communications and movement.

MSP for apples

Malik also said in a statement the government was working on a programme to provide a minimum support price for the apple crop in the state and that the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India was willing to commit over ₹5,000 crore ($697 million) for procuring over 50 per cent of apple production of the state, benefiting more than 700,000 farmers.

Restrictions on mobile phones in all 10 districts of Jammu, as well as in Kupwara and Handwara districts would be lifted, the statement said.

The government on August 5 scrapped the State’s autonomy, bringing the region under its direct control.

Published on August 29, 2019