Uttarakhand must be finding it tough to rise up in the development index, but it has definitely added nearly one lakh more unemployed youths to the unemployment tally during the past two years.
The total number of unemployed youths which was recorded 7,04,398 as on December 31, 2012, has now reached up to 7,91,698 till February 2014, according to the figures provided by the Employment Exchange Department, Uttarakhand.
More so, if the enrollment trends are any indication, the total number of youths enrolled with the Employment Exchange Department, Uttarakhand, must have gone much higher during the past nearly three months i.e. since February 2014 as mentioned above.
With migration of population from remote and hilly areas of the State to urban areas in search of livelihood options and more importantly for job opportunities, the number of unemployed youths seems to be maximum in plains of the hill State. As per the figures provided by the Employment Exchange Department, Uttarakhand, while presently there are over 1,43,307 unemployed youths are in state capital, Dehradun, the number of unemployed youths has gone over 76,738 in Udham Singh Nagar, over 75,766 in Nainital, over 74,219 in Haridwar, over 65,750 in Almora, over 65,530 in Pauri, over 57,746 in Tehri, over 57,542 in Pithoragarh, over 35,657 in Chamoli, over 32,883 in Uttarkashi, over 27,766 in Rudraprayag, over 26,129 in Bageshwar and over 19,755 in Champawat.
It is worth mentioning here that enrollment of unemployed youths with the State Employment Exchange Department is just an indication of how unemployment problem is rising to alarming proportions in the Himalayan State in recent years. The number of jobless hands must be higher in the State than that of shown by the Employment Exchange Department, Uttarakhand because most of the times unemployed youths do not get their names enrolled with the State Employment Exchange Department keeping in view poor response that they receive from the said department.
However, to provide job opportunities to the youths was on the priority list of the State Congress party during the Assembly elections in the State in 2012 and more importantly, to provide unemployment allowance to the jobless youths was part of this promise that the Congress party made to the youths of the hill State during election campaign in 2012.
Though granting unemployment allowance process moved ahead, covering some unemployed youths registered with the State Employment Exchange Department under this scheme during the past two years of the Congress regime in the State, much has not been so far done on employment front except announcement of opening of employment opportunities particularly in Group C
category.
Announcement of job opportunities in Group C segment was one of the popular announcements made by Chief Minister Harish Rawat soon after his taking over the reins of the State Government.
But little progress seems to be visible on the ground on this front so far. Protest by the unemployed youths particularly by the unemployed but trained teachers in different parts of late, has only given that impression.