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Thoughts Employment Punjab

 Thoughts – Employment Punjab.

I am just recollecting instances from twenty years ago. As a District Dev Mgr I would travel across the districts of Ropar, Nawanshahr and SAS Nagar. We had financed a large number of projects across multiple sectors. Drinking water supply projects for villages would have contractor from Punjab certainly, but the digging of trenches would be by labour from Kashmir, the Overhead tanks were constructed by labour from UP Gorakhpur generally, masons from UP and Bihar, laying of pipelines by skilled workers from Bengal and Bihar. I found at a few places drilling of tube wells in hard rock by labour from MP but the machinery was owned very much by businessmen from Punjab. Regarding roads again the contractors and owners of machinery were from Punjab but the skilled labour and labour and overseers for bridges, culverts, roads etc were all from other states, including Jharkhand and Odisha. A similar scenario was there in Irrigation projects including lining of canals. Officers would often say the best plumbers were from Odisha. All these projects generated substantial employment but for citizens from other states. We have to realise this. I have asked around and am told it is largely accurate to say so even now. There is a community angle too. Once I tried a skill development initiative for Carpenters at site, with a large business focused on woodwork. Dr Ram Singh, the Dy Dir Animal Husbandry associated closely. He and the owner of the workshop cum business told me the boys from the main farming community would not undertake such job work within Punjab but abroad. I told them it is still Ok, though some young men were very curious about how a trainer from a non farming community (Tarkhans) would handle the clannish boys. Its these issues which impact us. Then the only options left are farming, the forces, Govt jobs and the like. The poorer sections get impacted the maximum within such societal prejudices. Agriculture in any case requires a degree of diversification for agribusinesses to evolve. And with a cash strapped Government after the substantial outlay on subsidised electricity, then funds would be scarce for the developmental push including creating the infrastructure. Education and importantly awareness is the key and also encouraging small businesses and entrepreneurship. The desire and hunger for employment opportunities, stability and incomes is there but the creation of the atmosphere and societal acceptance for a more varied employment profile has also to be there. Food for thought I think.
PS - The State Governments across India know this issue. They look at the productivity of the economy. The emotional outbursts are more for the middle class and their more educated children. Even then, the youth have to be encouraged to orient their thoughts and ambitions as stated. Plus in lieu of subsidies on power and transport, it would be better to focus on infrastructure and the creation of a manufacturing cum services base.

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