In a rare show of planned and constructive ferocity opposition MLA’s Vishwajit Rane and Vijai Sardesai backed at times by ruling party MLAs, laid bare two very uncomfortable truths. Firstly, the promise of 50,000 jobs to Goans through the investment policy is a castle in the air. Secondly, when the government speaks of jobs, it barely seeks to fill vacancies at the lowest levels – of security guards, peons etc.
The Chief Minister for the first time lost his cool, composure and fell into a pit dug by the opposition MLAs by saying that the government had indeed created opportunities of employment for those who are unskilled, attracting a sharp retort and a question on whether that is all this government is satisfied with.
The admission that the labour department has no enforcement mechanism or legal weapon to enforce the condition of 80% jobs for locals was candid. But this clarity and honesty should have been on display when the party sought votes in the name of creating and giving jobs to locals or when impractical promises were made.
Even now the government allows registration of outsider contractors who bring labour from Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand as well as from the Konkan across the Goa border. This was said not by an opposition MLA but by BJP’s own Kiran Khandolkar. Thus even unskilled labour in Goa is provided by outsiders, while skilled white colour jobs too are denied to locals.
The government has been left completely floundering. The big ticket companies depend on skilled staff pooled from across the country and their labour contractors get the unskilled ones from outside. In fact one of the North Goa MLA’s got an sms from a youth working in an international pharma company with outlets across Goa. The sender is an MSc and qualified. The sms read: Not even 5% of Goan people are hired by (the company). My company has 13 plants with 350 people working in each plant. Not even 35 people from Goa are in any one plant. Outside, a large number of people who are qualified in Chemistry and pharma are without jobs”.
To add insult to injury the government’s assurance of minimum subsistence allowance to the unemployed youth hasn’t been fulfilled.
While the promise of jobs is the first clarion call when anti-people projects are pushed, ruling party MLAs are finding it impossible to go back to their constituencies and face people on an issue which is sensitive because every unemployed youth has a family which is hurt and angry.
Therefore irrespective of what the rules say, when the Chief Minister admits that there is no legislation which can promise jobs to locals in companies which are moving into Goa by getting benefits from the state, people are bound to feel betrayed.
The defeat of his private member resolution to reserve 80% of jobs to locals in the private sector will give MLA Vijai Sardesai, who can now claim that he government has no intention of fulfilling its job promises, a poll handle.
This is an albatross Mr Parsekar must carry on his neck. The weight of joblessness can be the tipping point in 2017.
