Data presented in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday shows the horrifying Covid impact on human lives in 2020. Around 3,548 people committed suicide due to joblessness during that year and around 5,213 ended their lives because of financial difficulties. Over 25,000 people committed suicide due to unemployment or financial bankruptcy between 2018 and 2020.
The crux of the matter is that these human tragedies revolve around the economic impact on lives, largely a lack of fiscal resources and inabilities of individuals and families to deal with necessities of life. The figures amplify that support systems have failed, and the focus on lives is lost.
In this context, the budget unveiled by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman should have addressed the fiscal imbalance and the need to restore life, rather than having a long term vision. The critical component here is about creating employment opportunities. The Central government, on the contrary, has ignored this pressing issue and went about sketching a digital India and setting long-term goals. Not a line about bailing out common citizens in distress by providing jobs and security of living. Surprisingly, Sitharaman makes a vague promise of 60 lakh jobs across five years, despite the failure to deliver on earlier employment targets.
Cut into Goa, and the scenario is almost similar. Although the State has not witnessed suicides on account of unemployment, the State government has woefully fallen short of delivering on jobs. It has failed to offset inflation and usher in ease of living. What’s worse is that the State is currently caught in a web of job scams and gross irregularities in selection procedures.
What’s worse is that the election is used as a perfect platform to exploit job failures with parties promising to open up employment opportunities in their manifestos. The Aam Aadmi Party has announced a cash dole of Rs 3000 for unemployed youth till they get jobs, a promise of one job for each family and 80 per cent reservation in private sector jobs for locals. The TMC has promised 2 lakh jobs in 5 years with a guarantee of 10,000 vacancies in the government sector in the next three years. The Congress manifesto has an emphasis on job creation and party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has assured Rs 500 crore for employment generation. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that apart from the 10,000 jobs which would be created soon there would be nearly 30,000 job openings in the private sector.
The people continue to bear the brunt of the pandemic and parties continue to belt out offers without any thought of an already depleted treasury. Worse is, there is fine print that says “if voted to power”. A mockery is being made with these high promises that appear as baits for voters trapped in a helpless Covid situation. It is important for the common citizens not to get overwhelmed by this illusion of a better life post elections.
