Experts and students across Lucknow believe that not just a skill based model of education but a comprehensive policy will work wonders with regards to curbing unemployment
Each morning the labour mandis across the city of Lucknow come alive with unskilled labourers standing in queues to get some work so that they can get some pay. Amidst the honking of vehicles and Metro construction these people each morning have to brave rain, hale and storm to eke out a living. The lines continue to grow, even as Union Minister, Nitin Gadkari quite candidly has confessed in Parliament that jobs are not there.
The Industry has seen a drastic drop in those foot soldiers who can actually deliver on paper because they do not have the money to hire such talents. Across sectors of 100 persons aged above 30, only two persons report being fully unemployed, while in the 18-29 age group, 13 in 100 are unemployed, noted a recent survey.
Fears are high that India is experiencing jobless growth and skepticism is high that the country may not be able to cash in on its “demographic bonus”, the world’s largest working-age population—869 million by 2020
Unemployment in India is projected to increase from 17.7 million in 2016 to 17.8 million in 2017 and 18 million in 2018. India will need to generate 280 million jobs till 2050, the year when the working-age population (15 to 64) will peak.
On the other hand the government in the state has been trying hard to create opportunities in the state. Be it the Investors Summit, Skill India conclaves, the ODOP summit or the push for the broader Make In India initiatives, Lucknow has fast turned into a hub for such activitiy.
The recent ODOP summit saw 4095 beneficiaries who will reportedly gain from a loan of 1006.94 crores. Post demonetisation the job market has seen a drastic impact say those who have been tracking the developments on ground.
Experts believe while there is no dearth of resources and opportunities in UP with product-specific traditional industrial hubs across 75 districts, including Varanasi silk Saris, Bhadohi carpets, Kanpur leather goods, Agra leather, Aligarhi locks, Moradabad brassware, lakhnavi chikankari, among others, the situation on ground is gloomy.
Areena Mirza, a development sector professional and an Assistant Professor in a private University said, “Post demonetisation I feel the job market has taken a big hit in India and Uttar Pradesh is no exception. I have seen very little change for the people under the current regime in UP. I feel moulding opinion is easy because the youth still relies on half baked information trending on social media. In the 2019 election I still believe that unemployment will be a poll issue but it will not be much of an impact factor on the results.”
Union Minister, Nitin Gadkari recently said in the context of the Maratha protests demanding reservation in jobs and education, even if reservation is granted, there is a shortage of jobs.
Gadkari believes development, industrialisation and good prices for rural produce will ease economic distress rather than reservations in jobs.
Interestingly the Yogi regime has already taken notice of the silent migration of human capital from Uttar Pradesh, recently at a function the saffron clad CM had been quoted as saying that his government is working to provide the youth with jobs locally. He said the UP government has provided jobs to over 2.5 lakh youths in the last one year.
The youth though is of a different view. They believe that at a broader level just a degree is not enough. Education should be such that one is getting skill based training. They say that the unemployment owing to flawed policies is proving to be a problem.
A student at a private University, Ridam Khare is perturbed by the comments coming from the people in power. He said, “I personally read that government jobs have been low. There are comments coming from all and sundry about the youth selling pakodas, the CM of one state says that Paan shop is the best employment and worse the cow is for us to breed to earn a livelihood for some. Bottomline is that the unemployed youth are victim to bad politics. Unlike previous regimes where there was some degree of transparency, today facts are being surpressed. Saying truth to power is seen in wrong light. The youth will hold the key to the next government coming to power because the youth is dynamic. They rise above caste, creed and religion at all costs. But the younger lot will have to steer clear of social media because it is the social media that moulds opinion.”
A report says that in a span of a year around 4.5 lakh young people have enrolled for the state government’s skill training programme and over 2.5 lakh of them have got good job placements.
In both Centre and the State, near about 24 lakh jobs are present as per answers to a number questions in Parliament. Parliament question answer sessions show there are nearly 4.4 lakh vacancies in civil and district armed police. An additional 90,000-odd positions are available in state armed police. Furthermore, a total of 5.4 lakh vacancies are present in the armed forces.
More than 5,800 vacancies are present in courts. More than 1.2 lakh vacant positions exist in the defence sector and paramilitiary domain.
Despite this being a reality, economic gloom has further reduced scope for employment for many. Sadly lower business expansion has had a ripple effect on employment generation.
Speaking on ODOP and other government initiatives Senior Professor at a private university, Santosh Kumar Pandey adds, ” Any such initiative will generate employment but only when the implementation and execution is right. UP is a big state. One will have to bear in mind that such efforts are like a drop in the ocean. Notably what is required is that there be a comprehensive policy. On one hand you will find that ahead of elections there is a policy to appease and mobilize opinion. Attempting to change the perception from unemployment to proper employment is much too common. Will things like ODOP help one party have a political mileage or will employment generation be something that the youth can cherish that in my mind’s eye will need time to guage. The LPG revolution came in 1995 under the then government in power but the results came decades later.”
Senior journalist, Anurag Shukla who has closely tracked UP said, “Despite programmes and schemes I certainly believe that it all boils down to execution. If one were to go by the ground breaking ceremony, the Yogi regime has brought in 60,000 crore as revenue which is the highest in the last two decades. In last regimes like those under BSP and SP, proposals did not see final execution. If the Mudra Yojna can be linked to ODOP it will certainly do a great deal of good. Jobs creation will be in the entrepreneurial ring. Startup culture will get a great boost.”
Only recently an International Labour Organization report shows unemployment scenario in India over the last two years has been showing a rising trend. India’s jobless rate could be 3.8 per cent says ILO.
Labour markets continued to suffer from high rates of informal/agricultural employment where jobs are poorly paid and unprotected.
A large pool of youth in the age group of 18-25 years despite being skilled are facing unemployment issues since there are not enough opportunities for them. Amidst all this the young and dynamic want to stand out in the crowd. They want skills.
A fierce debater and a winner of many Model United Nations Meets, Nipun Vashisht argues, “ I feel the youth needs to be given skill based education because just a degree is of no use. The skilled workforce will be the future torchbearers of a new India. Politically the unemployment of youth will be a major factor in the coming general election given that youth remain the largest electorate in our nation. Each year a large number of youth are joining the eligibility criteria for voting in India.”
A journalism student, Prabhat Dwivedi adds, “I strongly believe that a lot of the work that is being talked about is just on paper. Things like the ODOP and the Investor Summit are certainly a way to tell the people that work is being done. If everything is hunky dory then why show off such events at a grandiose scale. The youth has now got to have something special and extraordinary in them to stand out in the crowd. For this very reason skill based training is a must because jobs are less.”
ILO says 21.2 per cent of working men (aged 15-59) had a regular salaried job (in 2011/12 period).
India’s biggest worry and centre of all debates is the growing informal employment, which counts for 94 per cent of the workforce.
A worker at a private university who could not make it to police for a bureaucratic culture in recruitment, Ashish says, “ It’s all very good to show people what you are doing. Do summits by all means but if implementation of schemes and job creation itself is flawed, what hope does one have from the government. Well intentioned government schemes are not reaching the lowest rung. The poor who have no good jobs are not benefitting because middlemen are gaining out of the nexus that is very obvious now. Instead of a flawed system what is of greater importance is skills be inculcated in the youth.”
In 2015, India added the fewest organised-sector jobs—in large companies and factories—in seven years across eight important industries. Rural wages are at a decadal low, as agriculture—which accounts for 47% of jobs—contracted 0.2% in 2014-15, growing 1% in 2015-16 say media reports.
So even as young Indians many of whom have substandard education are unable to find jobs as per education, the industry faces a shortfall of skilled labour.
Note: All photographs sourced from the net
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