HALF – A – WORLD APART

India and America are half-a-world apart but their concerns are the same

In his first Republic-day address , Indian President Pranab Mukherjee said :

“ The young cannot dream on an empty stomach. They need jobs “

In far away America , President Barack Obama spoke :

“ Jobs will follow, wherever they find talent; whether to Kolkatta or to Cleveland “

This how American Bureau of Labor Statistics ( United States Department of Labor ) reports :

As far as India is concerned , here is what National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) reports :

·     India’s unemployment rate fell to 6.6% in 2009-10 from 8.2% in 2004-05. The general perception is that unemployment in India is high, but the actual numbers seem reasonable. That’s because self-employment accounts for about 60% of India’s employed population.

·     Given the lack of viable employment opportunities, a large number of Indians opt for self-employment. And a big chunk of this includes low-paying activities like hawking magazines and flowers at traffic signals.

·      Casual workers — who get jobs at times and remain unpaid at other times — account for 30%

·     Only 10% of the working population are regular employees.

·      Given the scarcity of opportunities, higher youth unemployment shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Apparently there is a mismatch between NSSO survey and

·     Indian Population Register, according to which India’s population is growing at 15 million / year

·     Ministry of Labour , according to which 42 million youth are registered with 966 Employment Exchanges , all over the country

·     Ministry of Human Resource , according to which , some 3.5 million students graduate from Indian colleges each year but only 10% find jobs

When will our politicians realize that it is  JOBLESSNESS  which is the root cause of all militancy / aggression / violence / conflict / protest etc in our society ?

If they did , they would stop crying hoarse about corruption and make “ JOB  CREATION  “ , their ONE POINT manifesto , for 2014 National Election !

And the political party that does, will get absolute majority in the Parliament  !

Are UPA / NDA listening ?

Hemen  Parekh