India is the youngest country in 2020 across the comity of nations with over 65 per cent of its population being below 35 years as per the official estimates. This demographic dividend is getting restive with lack of quality education, skill and ever increasing unemployment in the country. For example, two tranches of large employment announced by the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) in 2019 for recruitment of 35, 000 non-technical popular categories graduates/under graduates, and second tranche of one lakh Group ‘D’ category vacancies for which the RRB was to complete competitive tests by September 2019, is yet to do so.
Reasons given are non-availability of private vendors for accomplishing the recruitment tests in view of acute shortages of manpower in the Government to handle more than 2.41 crores of total applicants for filling such vacancies in both the categories, thus keeping this large number of unemployed youth on tenterhooks of restlessness and uncertainties.
Meanwhile, the Government in Ministry of Railways mopped up about rupees 1000 crore from candidates at rupees 500 per candidate of general category and rupees 250 per candidate from reserved categories, making a total of roughly 1,000 crore. This is a very sorry state of affairs in the Union Government for its callous and indifferent attitudes. To gauge the multi-dimensional state of growing unemployment in the country, such a large number of candidates include graduates, postgraduates, PhDs, MBAs etc., showing worsening unemployment scenario and ever rising joblessness in India.
No wonder, the state of unemployment is 6.1 per cent according to the latest Labour Bureau data and the highest in last over 45 years as per the latest official data. In all, about 10 crore people (youths) are unemployed in the country. It seems the Government is taking the people for a ride in our system of democratic governance with public responsiveness of the Government.
The above together with growing number of more than 22 lakh vacancies in the Central Government and its inability to fill such large vacancies and similar situations obtaining in the States and Union Territories read with economic downturn in all spheres triggering heightened social tensions on all fronts of joblessness, farm distress, all round recessions and the Government of the day feeding the people on politics of divisiveness, politics of communalism, politics of exclusion, politics of marginalization, politics of hyper nationalism ostensibly on the politics of inclusive growth (Sab Ka Saath Sab Ka Vikaas Aur Sab Ka Vishwas) without delivering on peace and progress are resulting in disenchantment, fear and insecurity of the people.
Viewed in the foregoing context, the ongoing nationwide public protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Population Register and National Register for Citizens, which the NDA Union Government tried its best to dub as one religious community issue to polarize the people on communal divide to consolidate majoritarian support and state terrorism through use of excessive brute oppressive police force against one religious community killing them and destroying their properties in BJP ruled states, are manifestly a simmering pent up resentments against the Union Government.
People of India from all walks of lives are coming on the streets against polarizing and high handed suppression of people through the opium of religion and muscular nationalism of authoritarian governance of the people. Protesting people are displaying national flags, singing national anthem and reading in unison preamble of the Constitution of India chanting Justice, Equality, and Fraternity for all citizens of India equally and alike.
If the Government does not heed the public sentiments through the established democratic process of consultation and consensus, the very soul of India of unity in diversity and co-existence of the nation will be in jeopardy, thus beginning the process to end authoritarian one man governance of India!
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