Government data shows that there are three Gujarats – one that thrives on entrepreneurship, a second one that has thousands scampering for jobs that barely pay a daily wage of Rs 200, and a third one that is unemployed. The state which boasts the highest growth rate in India is also a land of educated unemployed youth as was abundantly evident recently when over 2 lakh candidates applied for 186 vacancies for the post of head clerk in the Gujarat Subordinate Service Selection Board (GSSSB).
One of the biggest reasons for this could be the eight major government examination paper leaks in the last seven years. This was the ninth time. The Gujarat police have arrested six persons who sold the paper to candidates for nearly ₹15 lakh and also helped them in solving the paper at various locations a day before the exam.
Gujarat Paper Leak:
- Vacancies: 186
- Applications: 2,41,400 candidates
- Written exam: 88,000 candidates
- Exam Date: Dec 12, 2021
- Centres: 782
- Salary: 31,340 per month
- Districts: Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Jamnagar
- ‘BJP’s focus is only politics’
Addressing the issue, Gujarat Congress President Jagdish Thakor blamed the ruling BJP asserting that the government’s priorities lay elsewhere. “Under the BJP rule, it is the whistleblower who is punished. It is a relief that the person who red-flagged the paper leak isn’t behind bars. For this government, a paper leak is not new, they have been doing it since 2014. It is just focusing on its politics, not on the problems of youth.”
‘Vibrant Unemployment’
Speaking to Vo!, economist Hemant Shah laid down plain facts and numbers to highlight the burgeoning problem. “The official labour act makes it mandatory to provide at least 100 days of employment to people. If you look at Gujarat’s records from the past seven years, the average employment days have always been less than 50. Under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, there are 34 lakh registered job card holders in Gujarat but hardly 14 lakh get employment. On one hand, the government makes tall claims of Vibrant Gujarat and on the other, there is no employment generation for Gujarat’s youth; even the employment figures by the government are overstated.”
Education and Unemployment
As of March this year, there were over four lakh unemployed persons who were registered with government agencies. Significantly, just 5% of these unemployed persons are semi-literate. Earlier, in response to a question by Khedbrahma MLA Ashwin Kotwalin at the monsoon session of the Gujarat assembly, the state government informed that 4,06,007 people have registered for employment with the state government. Of these, 3,85,506 are educated while only 20,501 are semi-literate.
Ahmedabad tops in unemployment
The highest number of such youths registered with employment exchanges are in the districts of Ahmedabad (34,063), Vadodara (27,362), Anand (24,136) and Rajkot (21,161), the state government said in written replies to questions asked by the MLAs. The lowest registration is in Dangs (2,789).
Government Jobs
In March, the Gujarat government claimed that 1,777 government jobs were provided to youths. The government claimed that in the past two years, it has provided 5.86 lakh jobs in the private sector; the highest number of recruitments have happened in Ahmedabad (90,749 jobs), Vadodara (49,697) and Kutch (49,181).
Read :https://www.vibesofindia.com/unemployment-in-gujarat-barely-27-of-targeted-jobs-created-under-pmegp/
Major paper leaks since 2014:
- 2014 GPSC Chief officer
- 2015 Talati exam
- 2016 Talati Surendranagar and Gandhinagar exams
- 2018 Teachers Aptitude Test
- 2018 Mukhya Sevika
- 2018 Nayab Chitnis
- 2018 Dec Lok Rakshak Dal
- 2019: Non-Sachivalaya Clerks
- 2021: Head Clerk (85,000 candidates)
Fight for survival
Visuals of a swarming crowd of young boys jostling for jobs at the Police Headquarters ground at Palanpur in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district exposed the government’s claims of prosperity in the state of Gujarat. Over 10,000 job aspirants from the district had gathered for 600 vacant posts of Gram Rakshak Dal jawan in 22 police stations in the district. Heart-rending videos showed the job seekers desperately falling over each other for a post that will fetch them a salary of Rs 230 daily.
Gram Rakshak Dal jawan
- Vacant posts: 600
- Job aspirants: 10,000
- Salary: Rs 230 per day
It would be wonderful if more of the MoUs that are signed at the Investor Summits are converted into projects on the ground.