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| Unemployment levels rise in JK UT, educated youth struggle | | | ISHTIYAQ AHMAD
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Jan 1: There are thousands of educated young women and men in Jammu and Kashmir Union territory, who are bearing the brunt of the lack of employment and struggle to find jobs. The unemployed youth believe that unemployment not only affects an individual, but the whole family economically, socially and psychologically.
"Due to unemployment, marriages are not held at a proper time. It also causes depression and pushes youths towards drug addiction. It affects families and society as well. One of the causes behind the rising trend of drug addiction is unemployment. When there are no jobs, it impacts society negatively," a youth who have recently completed PhD told early times, wishing not to be named.
As per the Economic Survey Report of 2016, the employment rate in Jammu and Kashmir is higher than the average national employment rate. Nearly a quarter of its population in the age group of 18 to 29 years is unemployed, which is far more than the national rate of 13.2 percent.
A group of unemployed youth said, "Many people like us have got themselves registered in various employment exchanges. We have been waiting for years to get some interview call from any department or recruitment agency but till date nothing has happened. Number of unemployed youth is swelling with each passing day."
They said, "One can understand that everybody cannot get a government job. But that doesn't mean that the helmsmen can shrug off their responsibility and claim that they are helpless. The administration has to do something for the generation next. If the jobs cannot be provided to us, then a mechanism should be put in place to develop the private sector so that more avenues could be created for the skilled and educated youth."
An analyst said, "It has been more than a year since J&K has been turned into a Union Territory but the problem of providing employment opportunities to youth hasn't been solved till date."
He said that the government has been claiming that MOUs have been signed with the big houses and in coming days big companies would be investing in Jammu and Kashmir. "It remains to be seen how many companies will venture into J&K and how many people will they employ. The government should focus on developing entrepreneurial skills of the youth. We have to train the youth to become employers rather than employment seekers," the analyst added.
An observer said, "Then Governor Satya Pal Malik had stated that 50,000 government jobs will be provided to the youth and employment opportunities will be created for the skilled youth. But his claim remained confined to papers only."
He said, "The outbreak of COVID-19 had derailed many plans but now the situation seems to be under control. There are reports that the vaccine too will be rolled out soon, so the COVID should not be made an excuse for posts remaining vacant. The past experiences of youth have been very bitter as they were made to wait for years for the job interviews. Now, the system has changed and the old approach too needs to be reversed."
An official said, "Many employment packages have been announced and few more are in offing. The government is aware about the difficulties being faced by the youth. All their issues will be addressed in the months to come. The recruitment agencies have been directed to expedite the process so that the promises which have been made are fulfilled." |
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