Skip to content Skip to navigation

Unemloyment in Assam and ULFA

Unemployment is a burning problem in the country and Assam is no exception. The ever growing population has made it extremely difficult for the government to provide jobs for every educated youth. Educated unemployed are rapidly flooding the state. Government jobs have become a pipe dream. Here arises the need of introducing vocational training courses in our syllabi from an early stage in schools itself which will help the youth to be self sufficient rather than awaiting for that coveted dream job.

Unlike other states the Northeast and Assam in particular has been deprived of private companies and Multi national Companies who shy away from investing in the region due to extremism. For the proscribed ULFA’s questionable activities have left no room for private investments by any companies in the state. Extortion, kidnappings, bomb blasts are not exactly conducive for industrialization or any progressive work. The perfunctory tug of war between the government and the ULFA has in turn victimized the local youth and deprived them of a secure future. If such a trend continues for long then those few companies that have braved the hostile conditions will ultimately be forced to relocate and further aggravate the unemployment problem.

Albeit population explosion is another major factor for unemployment but terrorism is a direct cause for this growing problem and vice versa. For lack of jobs push the youth to join extremist groups to earn a fast buck which in turn act as deterrent to employment avenues.

There are over 15 lakh unemployed in the state. According to the state’s latest economic survey report the number of unemployed per 1,000 people in Assam is 21 in the rural areas against 5 persons at the All India level. Similarly the number of unemployed per 1,000 people in urban areas in the state is 20 against 14 people at an all India level. The government is not sitting idle but has given serious thought to curb this problem which is also the prime cause of insurgency. The government is allegedly going to implement a Rs 11 crore job generation scheme aimed at minimizing the problem. The scheme is said to be formulated on the lines of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan.

We Indians play the blame game really well for whenever things go awry we conveniently blame the next person in this case government. Extremism is definitely a major deterrent but it is not the end of the world.

The social scenario in Assam is a volatile one at least it appears to be so to people in the heartland of our country. The media too is agog with reports of violence and mayhem giving the impression of a prevailing tension in the region as a result of which investments in the region are sparse and far between.

Therefore in such a catch 22 situation the youth can take up self employment avenues such as start small scale industries or take up sericulture, pisiculture, weaving etc. The options are many but there is a dearth of proper vision and attitude among our youth. The Banks are always there to fall back upon provided one is armed with a little patience and forbearance.

Sadly a small step forward proves to be futile when insurgent factors destabilize the development process and take us four steps backwards. The recent kidnapping and subsequent killing of FCI official PC Ram is a dastardly act that should be condemned by all. Such incidents push Assam further into the labyrinths of underdevelopment and the wheel of progress comes to a standstill.

Rituparna Goswami Pandey

Comments

mitu's picture

Good insight into the actual problem. When would Assam solve unemployment

Pages

Add new comment

Other Contents by Author

A fresh orgy of violence erupted in Kokrajhar on Tuesday where the Rajdhani Express was attacked by some persons even as the entire train services to and from the Northeast was hit. Unidentified persons pelted stones and attacked the coaches of the Guwahati-bound Rajdhani Express at Gossaigaon in Kokrajhar district damaging four coaches, though there was no casualty or injuries. The train has been turned back and halted at Kamakhyaguri station bordering West Bengal, but the authorities were considering to take it to Coochbehar.
BJP on Tuesday came down heavily on the government for the escalating violence in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri district where 25 people were killed and 500 families have been displaced. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday, party spokesman Nirmala Sitharaman said that the violence is communal and that the prime minister should immediately issue a statement. She further called it is a problem of illegal migrants. According to her, “Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi was trying hard not to call the violence communal but we know it is so as informed by our team vising the state,”. Meanwhile, a special home ministry team will be rushed to Assam to assess the security...
Around 400- minority groups staged demonstration in front of the Assam Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday. Shouting slogans against Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, the protesters demanded the scrapping of the BTAD. The Home ministry has asked for the additional deployment of 24 troops to Kokrajhar district. The ministry has commissioned 24 more companies to be deployed in the towns of Dhubri and Chirang. According to Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Dispur was monitoring the situation, and confirmed that nearly 50,000 people had fled their homes in the restive Kokrajhar district.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday called up Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and took stock of the situation prevailing in Kokrajhar and Chirang. During the telephonic conversation, the prime minister directed Gogoi to do everything possible to control the violence. The prime minister also promised Gogoi more central assistance. Sporadic incidents of violence and arson are continuing in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts. The situation was tense in Bongaigaon and Udalguri districts. Around 70 houses in four villages at Bijni in Chirang district were torched. Over 50,000 people are housed in relief camps.
The Assam police are likely to get Amarjyoti Kalita on the transit remand on Tuesday a day after the prime accused in the G S Road case was arrested in Varansi. The police team from Guwahati has arrived in Varansi to procure him in their remand.Amarjyoti would be produced before a local court on Monday. He would be brought back to Guwahati on Tuesday or Wednesday.
In a major breakthrough, the prime accused in the gory GS Road incident Amarjyoti Kalita surrendered before Varanashi police on Monday. Kalita, a casual employee with Amtron, was on the run after police identified him along with 15 others. He is identified the main culprit of the entire episode where a teenaged girl was molested and stripped by miscreants for 30 minutes in the absence of police. A special investigation team set up to probe the case held 15 miscreants including a journalist and the operation to nab the prime accused. A team of police is on the way to Varanashi to get him in transit remand on Tuesday.
Two persons were killed and 10 others have been injured when a Tata mobile carrying them met with a tragic mishap near Jorhat on Monday. The mishap took place at Badulipar in Teok when the vehicle carrying a group of devotees rammed into a roadside tree on the NH 37 on the way to Sivasagar. Two devotees died on the spot while the injured have rushed to the hospital.
Tarun Gogoi has directed the district authorities in Kokrajhar and Chirang to take stern action to check the violence which has left 14 dead. Talking to reporters on Sunday, he condemned the violence in the district and directed the authorities to take strong measures to stop the violence. He said that he has also directed the police, army and paramilitary to take all possible measures to prevent further outbreak of violence.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Sunday congratulated Pranab Mukherjee on his victory in the Presidential poll. Talking to reporters he exuded hope that he would provide guidance to the government and the country. Gogoi said,”On behalf of the people of Assam, I congratulate him and wish him all the best.”
ULFA’s anti-talk faction on Sunday blamed it all on the government’s divisive policies for the violence in Kokrajhar that claimed the lives of 15 people. In a statement sent to media, the outfit said that the governments have always attempted to divide the people of the state on communal lines and the recent disturbing incidents in Kokrajhar reflect this trend. According to ULFA, it is sad that in the land where people of different communities and religion have been living in peace and harmony such incidents of violence and hatred was taking place.