‘Crisis in China, an opportunity for NE’
NEWDELHI: The downhill economic slide of neighbouring China, which is largely due to shortage of labour should be grabbed as an opportunity by the North Eastern states abundant with bubbling young and skilled workforce, labour minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said during the three-day international Skill and Summit and Skill Fiesta at Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.
The “demographic dividend” that has driven China’s growth in recent decades by providing the country with a supply of surplus labour has begun to disappear due to aging factor and untimely one child policy, labour minister said.
The Indian economy has been getting progressively integrated with the global economy since the economic liberalization in 1991.
And North East, especially Meghalaya enjoys demographic dividend due to high share of working age population which is more than half of its demography, she added.
Ampareen also pointed out that the North East region has a wealth of human and natural resources that can contribute to the overall social, economic, cultural and technological development of our country.
During the 12th Five Year Plan, the pro rata target set for Meghalaya alone is for skilling about two lakh persons for which the State has launched the State Skill Development Mission and the youth empowerment agenda is a priority for the Government.
There is need therefore to create an enabling environment and opportunities for the socio economic empowerment of the youth, Ampareen said. The centre and other states must come up with industrial linkages in the North East including Meghalaya for optimum utilization of this huge young workforce, she added. The people of North East also have a natural tendency to excel in service sector jobs with the industry having special preference for its youth for services such as retail, hospitality and healthcare, Ampareen said.
The region also has its unique skill set in the traditional sectors of handloom, bamboo products, dry flowers and traditional healthcare, she added. “ It is our collective responsibility as Government, the Private Sector and our Development Partners to design and implement practical programmes to generate decent employment, reduce poverty among the youth and economically empower them to play a more meaningful role in the development and uplift of their communities and the nation at large,” she said.