By CM Syiem
Meghalaya has now completed 45 years of its existence as a full-fledged state. This state which has been coined, ‘The Abode of Clouds’ by Dr. S.K. Chatterjee, Professor Emeritus, became the 21st State of the Indian Union. We may recall with nostalgia, that those two Districts of the then composite State of Assam, known as the United Khasi and Jaintia Hills and the Garo Hills, were economically backward and socially under developed. This pathetic condition necessitated by political and social circumstances led to the creation of the state with two districts. Undoubtedly, faced with gigantic task to overcome the unforeseen economic hurdles that beset this new set up, the echelon at the helm of administration had accepted the challenges along with those political leaders, in order to address those problems.
With the passage of time introspection is called for. During the Meghalaya Day celebration this year the Chief Secretary of Meghalaya, while highlighting the achievement of the state said that Meghalaya has made rapid progress on all fronts since 1972. We cannot deny that we have progressed nor repudiate that we have developed. But on both counts, we are still lagging behind in comparison with other states. In the present situation, without reviewing other infrastructural sectors of the economy, I would like to draw attention to the issue of employment vis a vis education. The enrolment of students rose from 2, 16,552 in 1971-72 to 9, 63,602 in 2014-2015 as highlighted by the Chief Secretary. Therefore, during the last four decades and a half, schools, colleges, university and other institutions has sent a huge population of job seekers to the employment market in the state as well as in the Country.
These job seekers are educated groups, consisting of Certificate/Diploma holders, Graduates, Post-Graduates etc. in various streams of studies and includes school/college drop outs. Nevertheless, they are all in search of jobs which may be white or blue collared. Also, the absence of large scale industries and other public enterprises which prevents setting up of any entrepreneurial ventures by people from outside the state due to local restrictions reduces the chances of employment and pushes people to depend on government service.
The Chief Secretary also highlighted that road coverage has increased from 3,024 kms in 1971 to 9,666 kms in 2014-15. In this respect, I would like to emphasise that this is a sector for employment generation. Let me remind that according to N. Venkataraman Report of 1977, it is estimated that the same amount of investment could create 104 jobs in road transport sector, while similar investment could create only 52 jobs in Agriculture, 50 in Housing and 19 in Railways. Accordingly, the State Government should consider improving the road net-work in the rural areas with special emphasis on those areas bordering Assam and Bangladesh in order to have connectivity amongst the villages. Well, more employment opportunities could also be created but in this context, another hindrance in the form of upper age limit presents another obstacle as the upper age for entry into Government services in Meghalaya including public sector establishments of the state, other quasi government organizations/institutions, local bodies etc. is upto 27 years with 5 years relaxation for Scheduled Caste/Tribe. As the scope of employment is few and far between while the number of unemployed youths have increased substantially so the supply has outweighed the demand for jobs.
Many a youth had to spend a number of years in search of a job until they find that they are no longer eligible due to age bar. In order to provide relief to such unemployed youth other North Eastern States have raised the maximum age in their respective states. I would therefore, urge upon our Government and leaders to kindly review the entry level age to government services from the present maximum age from 27 years to 35 with the age of relaxation for Scheduled Caste/Tribe by 5 years, so that it could bring some sort of solace to the youth of the state.
The present youths should look to our leaders as the beacon of hope to unleash job opportunities. We should not consider any leader as our bete noire because a person once elected carries the responsibility of the entire state. Changes happen when people get engaged, as such we should not blame our leaders whom we have elected but approach them with an open mind and impress upon them to think for a better tomorrow. We should be led to believe that our leaders are capable persons who would carry the political and social plough with a spirit of magnanimity and responsibility. Therefore let us look at the future of the state and share the socio- economic responsibilities with hope for a better Meghalaya which was created with two districts and has now blossomed into eleven districts, with a view to bringing the administration closer to the people.