Challenges of Unemployment

Employment is an activity or an arrangement which provides people income or their means of livelihood. Those who fail to undertake any such activity which provides them income or means of living are categorised as unemployed. Usually unemployment and poverty go together as mostly poor are those who fail to earn for their livelihood. Unemployment in India is such a challenging issue that has lead to poverty and unrest in the economy. In May 2019, the government had confirmed that India’s unemployment rate rose to 6.1 percent in 2017-18 which was at a 45 years high. As per the National statistical office (NSO) report, India’s April-June quarter GDP contracted by 23.9 ℅ the first contraction in more than 40 years. The numbers of unemployed people are likely to grow not just because people are failing to find Jobs, but also because even those employed in private sector are likely to lose their jobs, because of the recession in economy and unplanned lockdown imposed due to covid-19. According to the centre for monitoring Indian economy (CMIE’s) data, the monthly unemployment rate in April stood at 23.52% up from March’s 8.74%. CMIE’s also indicated that the urban unemployment rate in urban India in the week ending 6th Sept. 2020 was at 8.32 percent. In Jammu & Kashmir, we don’t have a data of unemployment rate of the current year but we can simply find it by using observational and statistical method. In July 2020, the J&K service selection board (JKSSB) has released online notifications to recruit class IV and account assistant post of 8575 & 1889 respectively. Around 6 lakh candidates applied for the posts which clearly indicate the unemployment rate of J&K. Central Government claimed that the Article 370 is a big obstacle in the development of Jammu & Kashmir and promised that after the abrogation of Article 370 Jammu & Kashmir would become a developed and a prosperous region. Some of the promises were privatisation, industrialisation, globalisation, and 50 thousands new job opportunities for youth, expansion of agriculture, horticulture and handicraft industry, reviving educational institutions etc. But in post Article 370 abrogation period not even a single job vacancy has been filled. It’s because of extended lockdowns, Internet curbs and Uncertainties’ amid a global pandemic and turmoil. All the promises and announcements are reduced to a myth or a clichéd phrase. Meanwhile more than one thousand posts were withdrawn from different departments in Jammu & Kashmir because of slowdown of G.D.P.
Unemployment is the root cause of many challenges ailing the ailing economy .It doesn’t only affect an individual, but the whole family economically, socially, politically and psychologically.
The periodic labour force survey’s (PLFS) showed that the unemployment rate remained elevated, possibly due to spillover effect from the 2016 demonetisation, G.S.T, corona pandemic, slowdown in the economy and failed lockdown. On Sept, 17th 2020, P.M Modi’s birthday was celebrated as a national unemployment day by several individual and political parties with the hashtag trending #NationalUnemploymentDay. It was just a kind of protest against the rising unemployment rates in the country and an attempt to highlight the Govt’s failure in generating new employment opportunities for addressing the intensifying unemployment crisis. Unemployment is the root cause of many challenges ailing the ailing economy .It doesn’t only affect an individual, but the whole family economically, socially, politically and psychologically. There are several issues directly or indirectly connected to unemployment triggering financial hardships, debt, family tension, alienation, shame, stigma, stress, depression which lead to the drug addiction as well as suicide. It’s a high time to address the issue of unemployment.
(The author is a student at AMU Aligarh . Views are his own) [email protected]