Tamil graduates protest over government job scheme exclusion

<p>Recently graduated students protested opposite the Jaffna District Secretariat, demanding to know why their applications to the government employment programme had been rejected.</p> <p>The protesters <a href="http://www.sundaytimes.lk/article/1123841/jaffna-graduates-demand-answe…">reportedly </a>said that the Jaffna district had the largest number of graduates whose applications were rejected. The protestors handed over a letter to Jaffna District Secretary asking for reasons as to why their applications had been rejected.</p> <p>Earlier this week, the Sri Lankan Home Minister passed an order rescinding the applicability to the Northern and Eastern provinces for a government job scheme which offered employment opportunities for 100,000 low-income people. The abrupt order has denied 20,540 people who had been enlisted in the programme across the North-East from working in secure state employment.</p> <p>The cancellation will prove testing for state-aligned Tamil candidates and paramilitaries who campaigned on a ticket based of the promises of state employment and development.&nbsp;</p>