Maha to give priority to farmer's children for bus driver jobs

In a bid to help distressed rural families reeling under severe financial constrains due to natural calamities, the Maharashtra government today decided to give priority to children of farmers while providing jobs of bus drivers in the state.
"For 7,630 vacant posts of bus drivers of ST buses, we have received around 70,000 applications. Our aim is to give priority to children of farmers so that a secure government job will act as compensation against irregular climatic conditions," Transport minister Diwakar Raote told reporters here.
"If one child of a farmer is working with the government and other members of the family continue with agriculture, unseasonal rainfall, hailstorms and droughts will not lead to farmer suicides as the family can fall back upon the one who is having a secured job," Raote said.

The minister further said bus drivers, who are addicted to alcohol or tobacco, will have to sign an undertaking before being recruited in state transport buses that they will give up their habits or face departmental action.
Raote said the government cannot forcefully prevent people from consuming tobacco and other intoxicating substances, but the state government has the right to choose the kind of employees it want to hire for its department.
"If we forcefully stop people from consuming tobacco and alcohol, it will be a violation of the Constitution. Thus, we have decided to make candidates sign an undertaking that while being employed with the government, they will not consume tobacco or alcohol," the Shiv Sena leader said.

"If they are found to be violating the terms and conditions set by the government, they will be liable to face departmental action," he said.
Raote said that drivers, who have already been recruited, but consume tobacco will be given training to give up their habits.