Youth want real work

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Can employment assurance for the youth help curb terrorism? The government is all set to give the idea a shot. They are finalising a special scheme in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry for the skill development and employment of youth with focus on troubled Jammu & Kashmir, North-East states and Naxal-affected areas to counter terrorism and insurgency.

According to the youth affairs and sports minister, Ajay Maken, the aim would be to make the youth a vibrant force against divisive forces. “If we can generate employment, insurgency-related problems could also be addressed,” he said recently.
The intentions are noble, but youngsters are skeptical. To them, unemployment is not always the root cause of the problem. So, many of them aren’t ready to give a wholehearted thumbs up to the initiative.
“The idea sounds good on paper, let’s be realistic and think of the final implementation. We are living in the era of scams, and I wonder what the future of this scheme would be,” says Dolly Paul, DU student from Manipur.
Yet, a few optimistic believe that if the program is implemented with transparency, it may change a few lives, like 26-year-old Irshad Ahmed, who is a Delhi-based media professional from Kashmir. He is struggling to set up his own production company. He says, “An unemployed youth with a professional degree in hand is someone you should be scared of.”
“I don’t know how you define terrorism. But a frustrated educated person is forced to commit any sort of crime to meet his needs. Have we not seen cases like youngsters with an MBA degree indulge in kidnapping?” he explains.
Shilpa Sharma, 23, JNU student from Jharkhand says there can’t be a single solution for all the problems of the country. “Poverty is the main problem. The challenge is to reach the poorest. How would the state manage that?” she asks.
“So, this initiative may be a soothing balm, but not a permanent fix for the issues. It would be wise to address political problems smartly, by involving the youth. And eradicate poverty with such initiatives by reaching the grassroot,” adds Dr Quisar Alam, an expert on political affairs.