SHAKEELA ANDRABI
SRINAGAR: After a short span of relief, Jammu & Kashmir UT is currently once again at very high risk of unemployment, as according to Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) figures, J&K is at present witnessing a 20.2 per cent unemployment rate, which is worst among other states/Union Territories.
According to CMIE data, the unemployment rate in J&K has jumped from over almost 5 percent in July. As per data, J&K is on level 2nd in the table after Haryana who is on the top with 26.9 per cent while Rajasthan is on third with 19 per cent of unemployment rate. Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana are the only two states in India which have over 20 per cent unemployment rate. Other states, which have highest unemployment rate are Bihar, Jharkhand, Goa and Tripura, where it is between 13 to 18 per cent.
Even though J&K Service Selection Board has organized many examinations but most of them were cancelled due to allegedly negligence. “Problem in Kashmir is compounded due to the fact that private sector in the region is yet to realize its full potential. The main source of employment here is government sector which is over stretched to the extent that almost 1 lakh youth is serving as daily-rated workers in government departments and seeking regularization,” said officials. It was believed that the government departments remained the highest employers in UT in the absence of a flourishing industrial sector as well as the corporate sector, but the New Industrial Policy is expected to create 4.5 lakh jobs in J&K, said officials
The new policy has a spending outlay of Rs 28,400 crore (Rs 284 billion), the largest incentive to date, for industrial development of J&K. “It is expected to generate an investment of Rs 20,000 crore (Rs 200 billion) and employment of 4.5 lakh over the plan period,” said an official. Similarly, under Mission Youth, the Government has launched a Youth data Portal for creating a database of youth so as to map their support requirements as per their needs and aspirations. A provision for the assistance of youth in reputed coaching institutes for UPSC and state PSC exams under aegis of the Parvaaz scheme has also been established under Mission Youth.
