7-Points Formula to tackle unemployment problem in India

Setting up of industry for creating jobs in ratio of job-oriented courses is need of the hour

Initiative of the government to introduce ‘Start Up India – Stand Up India’ programme from January 2016 as announced by the Prime Minister, Narendera Modi in his monthly radio programme-Mann Ki Baat is appreciable step which was also announced by the PM in his address on Independence Day celebrations of August 15 and it is going to be launched formally. It is the second largest scheme of Govt. of India after Make In India.

During the newly launched scheme, the stress will be to make the youths self-dependent from technical point of view, to create more employment opportunities and to associate them by using in the development of the country by keeping a close association with the IIT, IIM and all central universities and national technical institutions. This programme is not only for development of digital technology but provide opportunities to the youths to extend their services as per the requirement of our country.

The Centre and State governments through its election manifestoes allure the youths with high hopes for the accomplishment of their hopes, for providing employment but just after winning, hardly take care of them with the results, the educated youths after crossing the employment eligibility age, are compelled to enter in life full of disappointment, frustration and stress.

The educated unemployment youths in the event of less employment opportunities are left with no alternative except to offer themselves before the ‘Emloyment Devtas’ with their skills at the cheaper rates at the cost of their family and themselves. They have to surrender themselves but it is definitely an exploitation of their skills.

In fact, the governments are backing out from its responsibilities of providing jobs and engaging the unemployed educated youths at the meager wages through various outsources to run its day today affairs. This practice is neither in the interest of quality work nor in the interest of youths as their future at stake especially when they will become old with nothing for rainy season for costly health services with no pension and insurance. The placement agencies or service providers playing the role of middlemen are keeping an eye on the pockets of youths for even giving temporary jobs and the youths are being engaged at the very nominal wages.

Due to various recruitment scams in the past, various leaders and officials are serving their terms in the jails or facing trials – Sidhu of Punjab and Chutala of Haryana are the glaring examples. Keeping this in view, the governments by engaging the universities, institutions or private sector companies for recruitment purposes are passing on the responsibilities on them and managing the recruitment of nears and dears by getting the merits of their choice or taking the blank papers to complete it with favourable marks. To make the recruitment process more independent and secret, now the private companies have started inviting online applications and declaring the results online also by getting the required testimonials. The unemployed are being economically exploited by putting a condition of deposit of high fees besides incurring heavy expenses for appearing in the test at far off places. By inviting the open applications, it’s like Ik Anaar So Bimar situation as for even one or two posts, the applications in thousands with fee are received and one can well imagine the recruitment criteria.

The Punjab Chief Minister had always been talking about decentralization but in the state everything is centralized. Now nothing is in the hands of able officers despite the fact the proposals are got generated from them. Earlier the recruitment policy for engaging on six or three months basis was at the district level through employment exchanges and was a easy, transparent process besides involvement of any litigation. There are hardly any court cases in lime light of those times but with the changed policy of allowing the departments to invite open applications in addition from the Employment Exchange, the educated unemployed youths have been exploited. Even number of youths interested to go abroad have been cheated by the private agencies which has put a big question mark on the working of the Overseas Cell being not satisfactory.

So far as Punjab is concerned, the expansion of deemed universities cannot contribute to bring reforms in solving the employment problem. The private educational institutions are becoming richer day by day whereas the government educational institutions are lowering in its standards. The children in government schools are put only by the economically weaker people who cannot afford the high fee of private institutions. At the same time, the universities established in the private sectors can hand over the degrees to the youths at high prices butcannot ensure employment in the market.

Frankly speaking, the following 7-Point Formula can bring sea-change in reducing the unemployment graph;

1. Our education should be job oriented courses.

2. The governments instead of engaging the middlemen for recruitment purposes must strengthen the Employment Exchanges opened exclusively for the purpose and hardly extending any services in this field in filling up the vacant posts in the government offices.

3. The government should open Coaching and Placement Offices like Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration which is providing training to IAS/PCS and senior officers/officials of the government - at the district level, start professional and job oriented courses in consultation with the various universities, as per demand in the foreign countries at very low fees.

4. Both Centre and State governments have to make sincere efforts to save the future of the youths both at the rural and rural levels by opening the Career Guidance and Counseling Cells by availing the services of retired educationists.

5. The recruitment should be strictly under the supervision of concerned departmental officers instead of private agencies.

6. The temporary or adhoc appointments should be avoided rather regular appointment with responsibility be given preference with condition of accountability to get the finest results.

7. Setting up of industry for creating jobs in ratio of job-oriented courses is need of the hour