By Benjamin Lyngdoh
“The unemployment rally has become a futile exercise. Many writers have written on the violent assaults, hate, loss of image, etc. Here, we will try to explore some of the inconsistencies in Meghalaya which define the ‘unemployment conundrum’ and the possible ways out.”
The violent assault that was unleashed during the October 28 unemployment rally will remain in our memories for some time. This is not because it was a one-off incident, but because it rekindles memories of many other such assaults. Any rally is supposed to deliver a message. Pass a resolution and submit it to the relevant authority for necessary action. On October 28, the message which was supposed to be ‘unemployment’ was lost in the mayhem that unfolded in the streets of Shillong. So, what was the point of the rally? Till today, the state government does not see any need to reply to the various points on unemployment that were raised from the dais by the speakers. The unemployment rally has become a futile exercise. Many writers have written on the violent assaults, hate, loss of image, etc. Here, we will try to explore some of the inconsistencies in Meghalaya which define the ‘unemployment conundrum’ and the possible ways out.
On October 28 itself, the state governments of Gujarat and Maharashtra were squabbling over the 22,000 crores TATA-Airbus C-295 transport aircraft project. As Gujarat suddenly became the beneficiary of the project (which was originally meant for Maharashtra), Aaditya Thackeray hit out at the Shinde-led government for jeopardising the employment opportunities of the youth of Maharashtra. Chief Minister Shinde was alleged to have sold-out Maharashtra to the BJP at the centre just to save his own chair. But, why is this episode from western India resonating with Meghalaya. The reason is simple. Both Gujarat and Maharashtra have built up excellent infrastructure to attract investors from India and abroad to set up shop. Anyone who has seen these two states will narrate on the impressive infrastructures that have been built in their services/manufacturing hubs. The main ones are seamless connectivity through roads, rail, water and air. This is supplemented with impeccable facilities for warehousing, IT solutions like real-time tracking of product movements, assurance of safety and security, etc. This is how employment opportunities are created. The fundamentals are simple. Create a space and an infrastructure that would attract investors. Now, can we think of developing some part of Meghalaya into a services/manufacturing hub to lure business in? Is the political leadership thinking on this line? As of today in north-east India, only Assam comes close to attracting some corporate investment.
In most cases, the thought process is that employment is created by the government. There is a tendency that it is the job of the government to provide employment. In truth, this is a fallacy as any government can provide only limited direct employment opportunities. We must realise that a government is in itself a ‘public sector organisation’. The people in it (including legislators) are in truth only employees with the goal of working for the masses. According to rough estimates, the employment capacity of the government of Meghalaya is around 70,000 only. So, what really is the job of the government? Its job is to provide a nurturing environment for jobs to be created through the market forces (demand and supply). Provide an environment which is peaceful and investment friendly. Offer schemes and hand-holding to the youth for enterprise creation. Identify areas which are cash cows i.e. sectors with the potential to give maximum returns and build on them. Agriculture and food processing is a cash cow. But, creating such an environment it is a two-way traffic. It needs the cooperation of the society at large. The trust-deficit between the government and the pressure groups has to subside. Plus, the youth need to pull up their socks and put their heads together and work on employment solutions. This might seem utopian, but in truth it is possible. All that is needed are good intentions and a supporting environment.
In the experience of this writer, it is found that there are basically three types of youth. First, the ones with limited knowledge/skill (on account of curtailed education due to poverty, etc) but who are willing to work and develop. Many of such youth are from the villages and motivated to come up in life. They do carpentry, cane work, handicrafts, artisan work, bee-keeping, pisciculture, etc. What they do is heart-warming and inspiring. They deserve a lot of help and hand-holding. Second, those who possess appropriate knowledge/skills and are trying to find employment or do something on their own. Many of such youth are disillusioned today and complain of hitting a glass ceiling due to the lack of opportunities in Shillong and other towns of Meghalaya. This is where the need for a nurturing environment continuously arises. Third, the ones with/without knowledge/skill and have given up already. This is not because they are lethargic; rather, they have given up on the system. They see no opportunity and no hope. These need help on a personal and professional level through counselling. Now, just look at the conundrum. On October 28 there were violent assaults. On October 29 there was a huge traffic jam near St. Anthony’s college as hundreds of students came out after giving their MPSC LDA examination. The point here is that it would be wrong to paint everyone with the same brush.
In a recent national seminar conducted by Meghalaya College Teachers’ Association (MCTA) at Union Christian College, one discussion lamented on how Meghalaya missed the technical education opportunity in the 1980s and 1990s. The premise is that we are facing unemployment today because importance was not given to setting up of technical institutes like medical and engineering colleges. The outcome of this is that in addition to a shortage of local workforce for technical lines, till today our students have to move outside the state in huge numbers for technical studies. To be blunt, this was a blunder by the education policy makers of the past. But, there is still time to learn from it. Apparently, Meghalaya has not.
We are in the third decade of the new millennium and yet there is still no sign of a medical and engineering college. Now, there is also a need for a state university. This way our students will continue to suffer. Policy mistakes/inaction like these provides a space for the pressure groups to agitate and complain that all the jobs are being gobbled up by outsiders. The pressure groups too need to be more realistic. On one hand there is a protest to railways and on the other there is demand for employment. It is a conundrum as railways will create more jobs simply on account of transfer of goods.
In the end, it is observed that some are defending the violent assaults as a necessary evil. In social media, the defence is for all to see. But then, that is the nature of social media. It makes us narcissist-aggressors towards anything that touches our sensibilities like the feeling of community/religion/caste/tribe. Well, enough of this. What goes around comes around!
(The writer teaches at NEHU; Email – [email protected])