Sustained flight of capital and resultant loss of revenue seems to have turned Bengal into a job-seekers’ nightmare. The job situation is even worse in the Government sector Finance Ministry records suggest.
Notwithstanding, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s loud and tall claims of having fulfilled 90 per cent of her pre-electoral promises and regardless of her repeated claims that she has created more than 2.5 lakh jobs the reality is in the past four and a half years the TMC Government has been able to create little more than 41,000 jobs.
Curiously the Trinamool Congress which was hugely backed by the minority voters — following the Sacchhar Committee report that faulted the previous left Government for giving only 2 per cent Government jobs to the minorities — has managed to create only 1.67 per cent jobs for the minorities in the past four and a half years of its rule, reports say.
Banerjee had told a press conference held sometime in June-July this year that her Government had plans to create more than 2 lakh
jobs. In fact the Cabinet subsequently decided to fill 142,536 posts.
However reports from Finance Ministry which has to arrange funds for salary say that in the 62 Departments the State Government has employed 41,171 people in the past one and a half-year. Most of these 41,000 odd jobs have been created in the Police Department, a letter written by a senior IAS officer in the Finance Ministry says.
While the Government had decided to employ 1.42 lakh people in Police, Health and Family Planning and Education Departments — the first two being held by the Chief Minister herself — in reality only about 19,000 posts have been filled.
The highest number of 15,000 jobs have been created in the Police Department against the Chief Minister’s repeated claims of having filled 30-40 thousand posts in this Department. This, regardless of the fact that in the past four years 44,000 posts have been vacated on account of retirement only.
While the School Education Department held by party general secretary Partho Chatterjee has more than 56,000 vacancies in the past more than four years only about 380 people have been employed.
Insofar as the Minority Affairs Department only 273 people have been appointed against a 2,000 vacancies.
In the Health Department held by the Chief Minister the Government had plans to employ more than 20,000 applicants but after four and a half years it has managed to take in only 4,200 people.
Notwithstanding the unprecedented financial
assistance of Rs 600 crore given by the Chief Minister’s to various clubs reportedly to promote sports and other such activities the Sports and Youth Affairs.
Department has witnessed no employment in the past 56 months of Banerjee’s stay
in power. Other Departments which have seen zero
appointment are ministries of textile, small and medium-scale industries.
This notwithstanding the fact that the Chief Minister has repeatedly claimed that her Government will promote small and medium scale industries when heavy industries are avoiding the State.