Unemployment has been the single biggest issue that is dogging successive governments over the years. Whether it is this BJP-led coalition or the erstwhile Congress government, providing jobs to the unemployed youth has been the single biggest challenge facing the ruling. In fact, the first-ever annual employment survey by the Labour Bureau at the Centre conducted for the period 2009-10 showed Goa topping the unemployment list in India.
The biggest encouraging factor this time around was that 2,500 job were up for grabs in various departments like Fire, Town Planning, Revenue and Women and Child Welfare, besides others. This came as a huge sigh of relief, more than a year after the Parsekar government decided to halt recruitment processes for 1,200 posts in government departments in 2016.
When all seemed to be going well with the process initiated for 2,500 jobs, Parrikar’s ailment seemed to have come in the way. Call it bad timing, the entire lot of jobs which were cleared by the committee of joint secretaries and were awaiting clearance from the main committee of secretaries headed by the Chief Minister was put on hold on account of Parrikar’s absence. And with the chief minister’s arrival likely to be delayed, it’s going to be a long wait for the thousands of youth aspiring for these jobs.
In view of the severe crisis on the job front where thousands are expected to be rendered jobless after the mining shutdown, the government needs to work out a quick solution. To that affect, the Cabinet Advisory Committee comprising Vijai Sardesai, Francis D’Souza and Sudin Dhavalikar should be empowered to take the process forward in consultation with the Chief Minister.
Surprisingly, private companies haven’t been encouraging either. Close on the heels of Cipla organizing recruitment drives for jobs in Goa, several other prominent business houses have participated in a job fair organized by the Maharashtra government in Sawantwadi. Many of these vacancies which the companies were scouting for are not professional positions. Many of them were on the lookout for candidates with even 12th Standard or graduation as qualification. When there are thousands of Goans waiting in serpentine queues with such qualifications, there appears to be no logic in sourcing manpower from across the borders.
The government should immediately swing into action and reassess its job requirement. In a crisis-like situation that the State is currently faced with, the government should reach out to the private players and work out mechanisms on giving preference for locals. The unemployment situation is going to be only worse from here given the existing market scenario. BJP had promised the sky while going to polls, from making Goa investor-friendly in industry to an unemployment-free State, nothing much has been achieved. It’s time the government stands up to the challenge of providing jobs, at least at this hour.
