Tiwari govt to give jobs to Uttarakhand agitators

In A bid to strike the right note with the electorate ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Uttaranchal government has said that it will provide jobs to all those activists of the Uttarakhand movement who had suffered serious injuries, prompting the Opposition BJP to describe the move as politically motivated.

‘‘The state has identified 62 youths who were seriously injured during the movement and they would be provided jobs in the education department,’’ Uttaranchal Education Minister Narendra Singh Bhandari said. He said the youths would be accommodated at different levels in the department as per their qualification. Those who were handicapped during the movement would be given a monthly pension of Rs 2000, he added.

The announcement came after activist Umesh Chander Gusain, who was awarded imprisonment by a Tehri court, was given remission by Governor Sundershan Agarwal. ‘‘This is our humble move to honour the activists ,’’ he said.

The BJP described the move as politically motivated.