Flights Of Fantasy
[ M Panging Pao ]
As per the annual employment and unemployment survey conducted by the Labour Bureau of India, the unemployment rate per 1000 persons aged more than 15 years for the year 2013-14 for Arunachal Pradesh was 140, which was the second highest in the country.
For a state dominated by proud tribal people fending for their own families with hard work and easily living off the land for centuries, such high unemployment figures are a matter of worry.
Today, many educated and uneducated youths in the state are unemployed. Many graduates and postgraduates in various streams are hunting for jobs. Our state has many qualified professionals like engineers, doctors, dentists, lawyers, etc, waiting for suitable job openings. In fact there is an ‘unemployed engineers’ association’ in the state!
For a less populated and less developed state like Arunachal, there are only limited employment opportunities available with the state government. Jobs in the state government are getting saturated. Absence of major PSUs, MNCs and industries in the state means lesser jobs available. Opposition to big job employment projects like dams, railways and airfields could be leading to loss of many jobs for the local people.
In the absence of sufficient jobs in the state, the logical alternative is to look for employment opportunities outside the state. The other option could be the creation of an environment conducive to the establishment of new industries in the state and boost infrastructure for development of the services sector.
The Indian armed forces, the railways, paramilitary forces and PSUs are some of the biggest employers in the country. There are jobs for engineers, doctors, science graduates, humanities graduates, commerce graduates, post graduates, etc.
Within the Indian armed forces, there are adequate numbers of job openings in the Army, Navy and Air Force. In the paramilitary forces one may explore posts in the CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB, CISF, Coast Guard, etc. In the public sector undertakings there are large numbers of opportunities in ONGC, IOC, OIL, SAIL, GAIL, HAL, BHEL, NTPC, NHPC, etc.
Due to saturation of jobs in the state, parents, teachers and society should encourage and guide children to compete for job opportunities outside the state. When you serve outside the state, you get exposed to better environment and development in other areas of the country. If possible, one may do the state proud be representing the state outside the country.
Many studies have proven that large-scale unemployment leads to undesirable activities in our youth like drugs/alcohol addiction, terrorism, crime, etc. Arunachal has always been a peaceful state for decades with people existing peacefully within the many tribes, castes and religions. As responsible citizens we need to contribute towards retaining this peace and tranquility in the state.
Therefore, instead of limiting ourselves to serve only within the state, the need is to open our minds and apply for job opportunities outside the state. The choice is between remaining unemployed in Arunachal and earning outside the state.
(The contributor is retired Group Captain, Indian Air Force)
