The State Government is reportedly serious in going ahead with the ban to be imposed on creation of new posts in the state. It is evidently clear that the government is no longer in a position to provide jobs to the educated young people. It is against this grim scenario that one would have to wait on the outcome of the two day workshop at ATI, Kohima organized by the State Government in collaboration with the Ministry for Development of Northeastern Region (DONER) and which is expected to chalk out the strategy and Action Plan for generation of 25,000 employment opportunities as promised by former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
One of the basic points often missed out when it comes to addressing the issue of employment is the education system itself which has in reality failed to meet the aspirations of the individuals, requirements of the society and the needs of the economy. Ignoring this aspect (of having a relevant education system) is akin to putting the cart before the horse. As such, any discussions on youth employment should in essence identity this failure and instead suggest measures to be taken so that the educational system is better equipped towards meeting the students demand for gainful employment i.e. once they complete their schooling or college education for that matter. Failure to take this into account would only augment the number of educated unemployed youths thereby creating more backlogs of the unemployed.
Recently on completion of the mini-industrial township at Ganeshnagar, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio underscored the need for entrepreneurs to come forward and make use of the doors opened for them. While a major part of the initiative would have to come from those looking out for employment avenues, it also goes without saying that the government will have to restructure its policy on youth development besides conducting more of such training on capacity building, professional skills, and facilitating access to the job market besides also consulting with the youth on policy and programs that affect them.
There is no question that youth employment is a pressing issue in Nagaland and the 2-day workshop to chalk out the action plan for the generation of 25,000 jobs is a welcome development. However the State government and the Central Ministries involved should remain sincere if at all they are concerned about remedying the situation. Most importantly generating 25,000 jobs will remain a meaningful exercise only if the benefits are distributed evenly without discrimination. Here the state government should see to it that what ever little resource (job in this case) is being made available, be used judiciously. Unfortunately, the experience has been that only those owing allegiance to a particular party or leader get employment. Instead of satisfying the general public, this will only create more heartburn. Any such anomaly in distributing the 25,000 jobs should be well avoided.
