Video Editor: Vishal Kumar
I am here to tell you something very important. I request you to cover this. We have 50,000 vacancies in the govt sector. I hereby announce that we intend to fill these vacancies.Satyapal Malik, J&K Governor
This is what Satyapal Malik, the governor of J&K announced.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured a delegation of 5 village heads from Jammu and Kashmir, who had come down to Delhi, that at least five people will be given government jobs in every village in the valley.
This was a big headline. No media organisation missed covering it. Why would they miss it, anyway? Union Home Minister Amit Shah and J&K Governor Satyapal Malik have announced that the youth of Kashmir will get jobs. This news should reach every unemployed youth of the Valley.
This was the kind of announcement which made every youth from UP, MP or Bihar wonder, why no such announcement for us?
The big question is, when job announcements are being made in Kashmir, does the govt have plans to tackle unemployment in other states? If jobs are not generated in other states, the youth will wonder, Janab Aise Kaise?
When the youth of Kashmir are expected to get opportunities in terms of jobs, the obvious question is why are the youth from the rest of the country investing their energy on TikTok and Facebook videos? They also deserve to get the opportunities. When the announcement of jobs in the Valley has made headlines, let us take a look at the state of the jobs sector in the country.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Hindu-Muslim and India-Pakistan narratives overshadowed the unemployment issue.
In January 2019, NSSO reported that unemployment was the highest in 45 years in the country. Back then, the government had denied the reports. After the elections were over, the govt agreed that unemployment was indeed the highest in 45 years.
Fresh Reports Confirm High Unemployment Rate Too
If we look at current figures, a fresh report by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) says that the rate of unemployment is the highest in 3 years. The report also states that people are desperately looking for jobs, but in vain.
That was the state of unemployment in the country. Let us now shift our focus to jobs. Where are the jobs? While the youth of Kashmir are being promised jobs, are the youth of other states getting jobs too?
Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF)
In Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), more than 8% of the posts are lying vacant. Of the total 99,99,759 seats, 84,037 posts are yet to be filled. This was announced in Lok Sabha on behalf of the Home Ministry. Whether to protect borders or to maintain law and order to assist the state governments, the central forces CRPF, BSF, Sashastra Seema Bal(SSB) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force(ITBP) swing to action. Why are so many of these posts vacant then?
SSC Exams
Why not the same zeal over central government’s Staff Selection Commission exams, as is with the job announcements in the Valley? CGL 2017 exams for admissions in SSC group B and group C are not over yet. Students’ protests in the national capital, alleged question paper leak, court cases, slow process, the list goes on.
When Will the Vacant Posts in Railways Be Filled?
The Indian Railways generates maximum jobs in the country. Even in the Railways, 3 lakh posts are vacant. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal had announced in the Lok Sabha on 10 July, 2019, that exams have been organised for 1,51,843 posts and by 2019-20, exams will be organised for another 1,42,577 posts. Now will the posts be filled in the coming months with the same speed as in the Valley? Appears highly unlikely.
What About the Universities?
According to the HRD Ministry data, in 41 central universities, close to 35% teaching- and non-teaching posts are vacant. More than 1,000 posts are vacant in Allahabad University. UGC has now appealed to the universities to fill the vacant posts. Only the government knows when these posts will actually be filled.
Sanskrit University in Distress Too
HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal had on 24 June, 2019, announced in the Lok Sabha that in the government-funded Sanskrit universities, out of 1,748 posts for teaching staff, more than 800 seats are vacant.
In the Rural Sector, Thousands of Posts for Doctors Are Vacant
Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has admitted to a shortage of doctors under the Public Health Facility. According to the figures presented by Health Minister Harshvardhan in Rajya Sabha, on 16 July, 2019, 8,572 posts for doctors were vacant in the rural sector.
If we take a look at the statistics, the condition in far worse in the states. In UP, 1.15 lakh teaching posts are vacant. If we go to Bihar, from university professors to dentists there are hundreds of posts lying vacant. In 2015, 558 dentists were selected by the Bihar government. But these 558 posts for dentists are still vacant.
Announcements grab headlines but there’s no certainty about the deadlines. The dire state of government jobs is an open secret. What options do the youth have? From auto to textile sectors, rampant job losses in all industries is worrying. The state of affairs in private sector is scarier. We can’t help but ask, Janab Aise Kaise?
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)