DEBATE(1)

Any leader like Chandra Shekhar, Deve Gowda and I K Gujral  can  become PM according to political compulsions and situation.

Vijay Tiwari

Who is responsible to create jobs?

Whose responsibility is it to create jobs? It is the primary responsibility of the state governments to create jobs, livelihood & self-employment opportunities for the youth of the state. Three important economic areas are in the State List under the Constitution of India: Education, Agriculture, Industry. These areas offer maximum jobs and opportunities for gainful employment. Only a few state governments have discharged their responsibilities honestly to some extent whereas others have only disappointed. For the failed states, politics is more important than jobs. They have ruined education by transferring primary, middle and secondary education to Panchayats, Municipalities or other Local Self Government institutions. It has resulted in waste of scarce financial resources of the state and ruining the development of the human resources. Since 1980 continuous efforts have been made to destroy even higher education, perhaps because the politicians had come to fear and hence hate the educated university academics and students who had become a real threat to them since 1974 onwards leading to imposition of Emergency. Without world class education in the universities in the contemporary global competitive scenario we can only lose jobs but never gain them for our young graduates. The industry and private businesses have been complaining of “un-employability” of our graduates. State governments disturbing academic atmosphere in the universities have successfully diverted youth anger demanding jobs from them to the central government ! Why don’t the state governments create jobs for the youth ? The state governments have failed on yet another front: industry. They are responsible for development and growth of industries within their jurisdiction. They have only stalled all such activities for non-industrial reasons. The state governments and agencies have turned in to rent seekers, stalling approvals required to set up industry or business. They hurt, harm, destroy or kill industrial and management assets sending fear down to industrialists and first generation entrepreneurs. They think the industrialist or the entrepreneurs have loads of money and made to pay by arm twisting methods, contrary to the reality of financing a project mostly by costly debts from financial institutions. Can jobs be created in such territories? Take stock of closure of hundreds of enterprises due to industrial sickness seen in West Bengal or Kerala and many other states. The youth must agitate to demand jobs from their state governments who can achieve much by sincere promotion of industries and creating jobs. Their political treatment is required so that they could see the benefits of promoting industries and thereby creating jobs. The third highest employment generating activity is agriculture. State governments can create ten times more than the existing opportunities in the farm sector provided they treat it with sufficient respect for the potential for high paying job/livelihood opportunities for a large section of the population. States have immense job opportunities in mining, tourism, hospitality and health services provided they ensure security and fair business, service and employment practices. This they can’t do if they don’t practice these virtues themselves- not if corruption pervades government, administration and other agencies. It demands visionary leadership with a mission to provide jobs to its resident citizens. Jobs don’t hang on trees, but innovative leaders can make the trees provide enough livelihood opportunities as well as jobs. State governments alone provide electricity and water to industry and commercial enterprises. They provide municipal services too. If they do their job honestly they certainly can create jobs for the young men and women voters in their state.

M L Gupta