BY SHEIKH NISAR
Last few years, New Delhi has been acutely unpredictable. It discomforts people (particularly people of J&K) what inconsistency they are going to catch us in next. This unpredictability is marshy dangerous to be entrusted. After scrapping special status, the state of Jammu & Kashmir has been fleeced more than usual and bifurcated to Union Territory of J&K and Ladakh. What the people of Kashmir want is unappreciated and what the Jammuties want is very simple—they want Jammu as good as promises made when special status was abrogated. Special status of J&K was scrapped a year ago, with a promise, to reach out educated and unemployed youth of J&K to help them to earn a livelihood. Citing article 370 as an obstruction in development and creating jobs, a year after, it emerged ‘the claim was a hoax only’.
Since independence, India tried to curb poverty and joblessness by promoting economic growth models and anti-poverty programs. The government started involving and encouraging youth, male and female, rural and urban, in developmental projects to make India a self sufficient country. The uncontrolled population growth accompanied by unemployment rendered almost majority of the anti-poverty as well as anti-unemployment scheme useless. In this situation, poverty elimination has been an uncured challenge. Therefore, the conditions of economically disadvantaged groups and unemployed youth remained pitiable. Jammu and Kashmir wasn’t exception. Government of J&K, on the lines of central government, engineered number of schemes to boost self-employment. In meager job availability and infeasible business environment, technocrat youth took hurdles as welcome challenges and employed self as well as others. Thus, challenges became avenues and avenues become source.
To overcome the large unemployment problems and to generate new avenues and utilize potential resources, the J&K government encouraged self employment in the shape of Self Help Group of Engineers Scheme for addressing unemployment among engineers in year 2003 with an aim to organize unemployed engineers into groups to self employ them by aiding them gainful source of livelihood in the shape of work in the Works/Development Department as an alternative to their struggle for government Jobs. Thus, fifteen thousand engineers got livelihood. The move was also initiated to create/promote group culture among youth for their socio-economic empowerment to create employment opportunities for others as well. The SHGs of Engineers were provided 30% of funds in the work plans that were earmarked by all Works/Development Departments. The guidelines also provide that 30% of the total works in the Government Departments / Corporations and Autonomous Bodies shall be earmarked for the Self Help Groups of Engineers. The departments where SHGs of Engineers shall be provided works were also indicated. A clear demarcation line was drawn. The SHGs were required to get registered and were entitled to work on contracts up to the limit of Rs. 50 lacs for first two years from date of registration and thereafter contracts worth Rs 75 lacs for next two years and after completing four years registration, the groups were entitled to execute works up to the limit of Rs 1.25 crore. The scheme happened to be youth friendly and thousands of educated youth took advantage of it.
Latently, after abrogation of special status, the J&K UT admin has gone anti-youth in its approach. Instead of inculcating spirit of entrepreneurship, the UT administration took an arbitrary decision of abolishing SHGs of Engineers, rendering around 15000 engineers and their employees jobless. In place like valley of Kashmir where there are meager opportunities of jobs, the SHGs of Engineers were providing bread and butter to hundreds of families. Disregarding them are technocrats from reputed varsities, J&K admin also ignored their efficiency of executing the works allotted to them and abolished the quota of work allotted to them. J&K admin is taking away remnants of avenues generated by previous governments. There are many perceptions that UT administration has taken this decision on behest of those who want to secure their vested interests. How come it is true is itself a mystery.
Although, UT administration is claiming to have designed an alternate but it doesn’t convince youth as they have witnessed anti youth policies being employed since abrogation. In this situation of joblessness, it is pertinent to ask “who will repay the loans of these SHGs?’ These SHGs have received hassle free finance from banks to buy machinery and tools. After depriving them of their livelihood “what they will do with idle machinery and tools?’’ Unemployment is the greatest curse. In the times of pandemic, snatching a livelihood is more catastrophic than pandemic itself. The decision needs to be rolled back. Instead of forming new schemes, old ones could be improved. If there is any flaw in old ones, rectify them, instead of abolishing the existing one.
Note: Opinions are personal, not of the institution author is working for.
Sheikh Nissar can be reached at sheikhnissar@Outlook.com
