JOSE MARIA MIRANDA
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Unemployment, dearth of jobs and lack of opportunities to earn a decent living ought to be a matter of extreme and serious concern to any State or country. They are widely considered a major driver of social evils like crime, drug abuse, social unrest, and mental health issues. Joblessness creates economic hardships, frustration, depression and puts stress on families, impacting children’s education and future opportunities, sometimes leading to breakdown of family structure. Low self-esteem, loss of self-confidence and desperation, due to lack of income, can drive people to addiction to alcohol, drugs and gambling, aggression, violence and crime.
If illiteracy and lack of skills are hindrance to people getting jobs, bad governance, corruption and greed create an unfair system where the have-nots are left idle and vulnerable, fighting for survival. Unemployment deepens economic gaps, widens inequality and creates a frustrated class, fostering social tensions and instability. It exacerbates societal weaknesses and is the cause of many social evils.
It has been rightly said that “an idle mind is devil’s workshop” and that “idleness is the mother of all vices”. It not only promotes vices, but when these cannot be satisfied, due to low or no income, idlers resort to cheating, thefts, robbery and even murders.
Unemployment is detrimental to the country’s economy, as it reduces spending, decreases tax revenue, lowers GDP, strains government resources, stunts growth, hinders development and increases poverty.
India’s unemployment scenario is worrying, driven by population growth, which puts pressure on job market, skill mismatch between education and industrial needs and technological displacement. Job creation has not kept pace with increase in labour force. Our educated youth often lack specific skills needed for the industry, leading to a gap between academic qualifications and job requirements. Technological advancement and automation has thrown people out of jobs in good many sectors. In the Bank branch, where I worked, which had around 120 employees in 2000, today has a workforce of less than 20, despite increased business.
Urgent solutions are demanded and comprehensive approach needed to enhance and expand vocational training to bridge the skill gap, encourage entrepreneurship through Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), which are job creators and promote manufacturing sector to boost “Make in India” policies. Focus ought to be in creating stable and secure job opportunities for growth and financial
stability.
India has a large and growing gap between the rich and the poor, with the top 1% owning over 40% of nation’s wealth, with wealth concentration increasing significantly since early this century. The top 10% hold 77% of country’s wealth. One of the areas of great concern are the ever increasing costs on health, which could push over 60 million to poverty every year, despite the existence of good Government hospitals, like our Goa Medical College Hospital, which cannot cope up with the galloping number of patients, and Central & State Govt sponsored insurance schemes, like Ayushman for seniors over 70 and DDSY, which do not provide much relief to patients in private hospitals. Sadly, the Government does not or cannot exercise any control on private hospitals, which fleece patients and their families.
The unemployment scenario in Goa is alarming, to say the least. Amitabh Kant, former CEO of Niti Aayog, had said that it was not possible for India to achieve Viksit Bharat and growth without Goa growing, as Goa is the second richest State in terms of per capita income of Rs 3.5 lakhs as against the average of 1.1 lakhs in the country. Yet its unemployment is double of country’s average. He emphasised that Goa needs to be promoted as an investment and green destination, achieving electrification of two-wheelers by 2027 and of commercial vehicles and buses by 2030. Tourism, which is the industry, which could create many avenues of employment, is being killed by taxi problems , illegalities, law and order issues and tragic incidents like the Birch fire, which was nothing but a case of acute and systemic corruption.
Goa’s pride in having a very high literacy rate has, unfortunately, provoked dearth of skilled and menial labour, giving rise to increased demand and dependence on migrants. The need for uplifting their social status, attractive salaries and better education for their children, have encouraged thousands of Goans to migrate to foreign countries, particularly availing of the facility of obtaining Portuguese passport. Goans have, for centuries, migrated abroad and to other parts of India, in search of jobs. A ray of hope that things would change for the better, emerged after India took over Goa. India’s denial of safeguards to Goans, by way of protecting their identity, culture, land, jobs, etc. led to frustration and deception of hopes, provoking Goans to look for better opportunities and a more comfortable life and future abroad, ironically, thanks to the benevolence of those who India drove away
from Goa.
Not alone the exodus of Goans and surrender of citizenship was unfortunate and much against their will, but leaving their family, parents and dear ones, many in their old age, was a compelling option, often driven by the need of supporting their families back home and in avoiding in they themselves turning into vagabonds and social undesirables.
Besides low and ridiculous salaries being paid in Goa, which compel educated youth to move to other States, we have umpteen instances of hotels and some other institutions, headed by outsiders, opting for their own, depriving the locals, despite being located and making huge profits in our villages and cities.
Another factor which leaves our youth frustrated and sometimes desperate is the alleged corruption in recruitment, especially in government jobs, which the past and present governments refuse to admit, but which is being spoken about for decades. Merit is killed and corruption increases as bribes paid need to be recovered.
The extension of service given, with absolute immunity, to the favourites and those who toe the official line, is another matter of great shame, which the Courts need to take suo motu cognisance of, as it deprives the juniors, sometimes meritorious, of their rightful place.
Unless these issues are tackled with honesty and determination, the country will never progress and our youth will continue to be a frustrated and dissatisfied lot.
(The author is a retired banker.)
