More minus than plus in jobs

ACROSS THE AISLE

-  P Chidambaram

THE GOVERNMENT HAS flattered me by reading my column (The Indian Express, February 20, 2022). Finally waking up to the reality of soaring unemployment, it has announced that 10 lakh persons will be recruited to posts under the central government.Save a few exceptions, every family is affected by the lack of jobs.Add to that the loss of jobs. Especially after the pandemic-hit year (2020-21) and the indifferent recovery year (2021-22), unemployment is the biggest economic challenge faced by India.

In the run-up to the LS elections 2014, Mr Narendra Modi, the BJP's candidate for prime minister, made the lofty promise that he would create 2 crore jobs a year. There were sceptics, but their voices were drowned by the drumbeats of the bhakts (believers). The bhakts swallowed every promise including the mind-boggling promise that 'black money stashed abroad will be brought back and ₹15 lakh credited to the account of every Indian. I doubt if any one did the math.

After the new government took office, all talk ceased about creating 2 crore jobs a year or crediting every Indian's bank account with ₹15 lakh. The people were unusually forgiving! The government got busy in refurbishing and re-naming the UPA schemes and claiming them to be its own. The MGNREGA scheme that provided 'last resort' jobs to the poor - that was lampooned by Mr Modi was retained because the government could not invent an alternative scheme.

Bad to worse