2014 has been a year of political transition for India and its people who voted in large numbers, hoping for change. Every political party included employment for youth in its agenda. The current Government had made promises to tackle the menace of unemployment and launched the "Make in India" campaign soon after taking over, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiling this ambitious campaign on September 25 last year.
The campaign aims at turning the country into a global manufacturing hub. This initiative to create 'Make in India' a global phenomenon is expected to bolster and help increase per capita income, creating jobs for the 10 million people who join the workforce every year.
The thought is indeed welcome as the unemployment rate in India is showing an increasing trend since 2011 when it was 3.5%. Rising to 3.6% in 2012, it was 3.7% in 2013 and was expected to rise to 3.8% in 2014, as per the report 'Global Employment Trends 2014'.
The statistics, however, do not reflect the precipitating role that unemployment plays on the ground, especially in areas tucked away in remote geographical locations left to fight their own set of development challenges. One such state is the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir where Assembly Elections were recently concluded. The villages at the border and its youth have different dreams - very different from those of a youngster living in a metropolitan city.
Two hundred and fifty kilometers from Jammu, the winter capital of the state, lies Poonch, a border district largely known to the world, if at all, for the cross-firing at the Line of Control (LoC). Here every young person dreams of getting a Government job. The job profile doesn't matter - whether it is a prestigious KAS (Kashmir Administrative Services) Officer's job or more modest Rehbar-e-Taleem teacher; it must simply be a Government Job. The prospects are limited, considering the almost negligible presence of private sector in these areas, but that does not faze the successive generations of aspirants.
A report published in 2014 by the State-run district-level employment and counselling centers confirmed that Jammu and Kashmir has the highest unemployed rate of 4.9 percent in India, with figures revealing that more than 4094 post graduates and 12426 graduates are unemployed in Jammu province.
Is this a clear indication that even within the Sarkari Sector, the livelihood opportunities offered by both State and Central Government have been overlooked by the people in the state? Or are they simply unaware of such opportunities?
One such scheme that offers help is the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) that targets the restoration of the ecological balance by harnessing, conserving and developing degraded natural resources such as soil, vegetative cover and water. This helps prevention of soil run-off, regeneration of natural vegetation, rain water harvesting and recharging of the ground water table. This enables multi-cropping and the introduction of diverse agro-based activities, which help to provide sustainable livelihoods to the people residing in the watershed area.
This project took off in 2013 in Poonch region but till date hasn't found many takers. "We have divided the entire project into two phases. 59% work has been completed in the first phase wherein a baseline survey and Entry Point Activities (EPA) were to be done. We have divided the villages of Surnakote Block into two categories - Phagla First and Phagla Second, each covering 12 panchayats. The second phase hasn't started yet. Most of the work in second phase is construction based but it also opens several job opportunities for villagers, ensuring strong economic development," said Kafeel Ahmad Bhatti, an officer with the Watershed Department.
Self Help Groups, Poultry Farming, Animal Husbandry and Tailoring are the opportunities this programme offers. But to the disappointment of the Department, villagers have shown no interest in the scheme. One of the main reasons behind this situation is sheer ignorance.
"There is an urgent need of bridging the communication gap between the public and Government. There are several schemes that offer livelihood opportunities to the unemployed youth but the lack of information results in no takers to avail of such platforms," regrets Project Officer Attar Chand Kalotra.
People of Jammu and Kashmir have voted expecting 2015 to be a change for the better. The Charkha Development Communication Network feels that the new Government will have to start working with renewed focus on economic stability in this troubled region.
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