Uttarakhand hit by unemployment

Dehradun, 12 Feb 2007 There are more than 4.5 lakh unemployed youth in Uttarakhand. The number of registered unemployed youth stands at 31.97 per cent.

The number of jobs created in the past five years has barely crossed 4 per cent of the total number of registered unemployed youth.

The creation of Uttarakhand held out many promises people in the state say the promises remain unfulfilled.

“I have four sons who work outside the State, we both live alone. The creation of Uttaranchal has changed nothing for us,” says Jagadeshwari Bahuguna, a retired schoolteacher.

Twenty-five-year-old Jitendar thought his diploma in electric engineering would be his ticket to a successful career in Uttarakhand.

But he works relentlessly in a makeshift shop in his village saving every rupee he can to migrate to the plains where he hopes his prospects of a career will be better.

“Though it is a small state and there were endless opportunities for creating jobs there is nothing for you. Everyone is migrating to the plains and I too will do the same,” Jitender said.

The Congress party insists it has created employment opportunities for the youth.

“The BJP should not talk about unemployment in the State, when they were in power industries were closed down we have given the youth job opportunities by setting up many industries, easy loan schemes and all,” spokesperson for the Congress Party Surendar Agarwal said.

But the Opposition says they have just not done enough.

“Whenever the Assembly was in session we raised this question, but the ruling party paid no heed,” the BJP’s Matbar Singh Kandari said.

Employment opportunities for the states youth are a major issue in every party’s election manifesto in this Assembly election.
Source: http://www.ndtv.com