Civil Lines- Replaying History

- Richard Mahapatra

HISTORY DOESN'T repeat itself; we replay it. India is finally showing signs of talking about what matters most: employment. It reminds one of the early 2000s when the topic made similar political headlines. It is worth mentioning that widespread unemployment, particularly in rural areas, tipped popular mood against the then-ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA-I) government. It reacted with panic, setting up high-profile committees to scour for employment opportunities. But it was too little, too late.

For those who may have forgotten, it is not the current NDA government but the last one that promised 10 million jobs a year. In 2001, economist Montek Singh Ahluwalia led a task force with precisely this mandate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi repeated that promise during his election campaign in 2014, when the rising rate of unemployment was emerging as a worrying sign. His political sense was impeccable. But, the biggest challenge is to deliver the promised jobs.