New Delhi, Aug 4 (IANS): As unemployment continues to be a major concern, legislators say local solutions need to be found to tackle the worrying problem that has economic and social ramifications.
Legislators from 12 states, who attended a workshop on unemployment organised by think tank PRS Legislative Research, felt policies made to fit local needs can dramatically change the situation.
"Unemployment is a major challenge faced by the nation. It not only effects the economic situation, but the society overall," said Nirmala Sunil Wadhwani, a BJP legislator from Gujarat, who participated in the workshop.
"Youth can get diverted to the wrong direction and this would make our demographic dividend useless, hence innovative approach is hence needed to tackle the menace," Wadhwani said.
According to the figures compiled by PRS Legislative Research, overall unemployment in the country is 9.5 percent. While unemploment among men is eight percent, it is 14.9 percent among women.
Meghalaya, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are the only states in which the female unemployment rate is lower than the male unemployment rate.
The three-day workshop in the capital had sessions to promote fresh ideas and gave tips to the legislators on methods for creating more employment in their assembly areas. Fifty-fiveMLAs from Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Meghalaya, Orissa, Punjab and Tamil Nadu participated in the workshop.
"Unemployment is a national problem, but the situation in every state is different," said Celestine Lyngdoh, a Congress legislator from Meghalaya.
"We need to look for solutions locally. For example, as there are no industries in Meghalaya, such initiatives would not work. But the youth there is skilled in communication, so if we have call centers, it would be useful," Lyngdoh added.
He said he was in touch with companies like Aspiring Minds and Genpact for such initiatives.
"So the ideas for employment generation should come from the local level and the center can make policies," he said.
Speaking on similar lines, Wadhwani said: "Small scale enterprises provide a good option for employment. Youth can be given skill training depending on local employment opportunities as well."
Ashwani Kumar Sharma (Independent) from Bishnah in Jammu and Kashmir, said government schemes, if implemented well, would also fill the gaps in availability of employment opportunities.
"Government jobs are difficult to get these days, so we need to provide the youth options for private employment," Sharma noted.
"We need focused skill development programmes and should encourage self-employment. For that, the requirements of the local area need to be understood," he pointed out.
The workshop's sessions included talks on federalism and the role of state governments in generating inclusive growth, the need for policies that ensure that India's demographic dividend is not wasted, the linkages between employment and the economy and how elected representatives can leverage funds allotted from central government schemes for job creation in their constituencies.
Nearly half of India's population (49 percent) is engaged in agriculture, while 24 percent work in the secondary sector and 27 percent in the tertiary sector.