An honest and hard-working community never starves

Harsha Mohan Sarma 

(harshasarma183@gmail.com)

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an earthquake in the field of employment across the entire world. This pandemic has dealt a severe blow to India’s economy as well. The rate of domestic production has moved towards an all-time low. An atmosphere has emerged where no one can clearly say when the economy will recover. In this situation, nearly two crore people in India have already lost their jobs. If the current trend continues, many more are likely to lose employment in the coming days. Even a small state like Assam, already burdened with unemployment, has been adversely affected. Most of the youths working outside the state have lost their jobs and returned home. By unofficial estimates, Assam now has over fifty lakh unemployed people. There is a lack of visionary leadership to show this vast unemployed population the right path. A few thousand teaching and other government jobs cannot solve such a massive unemployment problem. For that, new avenues of employment and a spirit of enterprise are essential.

Assam, being an agriculture-dependent state, has immense employment potential in the agricultural sector. Employment opportunities can be created by establishing agro-based industries. However, there is a stigma that Assamese youth are not hard-working. Taking advantage of this perceived laziness, thousands of hectares of agricultural land have already gone into the hands of migrant Bangladeshis. On cultivable land, they grow two to three crops a year, and on land unsuitable for farming, they dig large ponds for fish production. Due to their hard work, Assam has perhaps become self-sufficient in rice production today. Even now, thousands of hectares of fallow land lie unused in Assam. Before this land goes into the hands of illegal immigrants, if Assamese youth obtain departmental permission and focus on activities like fisheries and various kinds of farming, the unemployment problem in Assam can be reduced to a great extent. For this, the youth need a mindset of hard work, concentration and honesty. 

Owing to the situation created by the lockdown, many youths have indeed been seen turning towards agriculture, which is a positive sign for the Assamese community.

After losing earlier employment due to the lockdown, Assamese boys and girls have also been seen taking up various businesses. One such business is meat trading. Today, broiler chicken, goat meat and pork shops have sprung up in almost every neighbourhood of Assam. The youth have realized that the meat business can be highly profitable. After meat, Assamese youth entering the dairy business is also a good sign. Assam has vast potential for milk-based industries like those of Amul, including the production of sweets, paneer, curd, cream and other milk products. Besides these, although often considered small trades, profitable occupations such as salons and laundries have also provided employment to many youths. Earlier, Assamese youth were almost absent from the construction sector. But the lockdown has brought a flow of Assamese youth into this field as well. It is encouraging to see Assamese people involved as masons, carpenters, plumbers and other construction-related workers. Similarly, Assamese boys are now coming forward to become bicycle mechanics and motor mechanics. Tailoring and embroidery also offer considerable employment opportunities in Assam. Before the lockdown, a large fast-food business ecosystem had developed in Assam. However, the lockdown brought this sector into crisis. It is a good sign that it has almost revived after the lockdown. A large number of unemployed people in Assam are engaged in hotels and fast-food businesses. These hotels and restaurants have provided employment opportunities to both educated and uneducated people alike. Tourism-orientated regions have opened up new avenues of employment. In places with monasteries, temples and shrines, many youths have become self-reliant by selling incense, lamps, candles, fruits, and flowers. Along with this, profitable businesses like hotels, restaurants and lodges have developed in these areas. However, even now, a large section of Assamese youth remains busy with cheap, entertainment-driven activities promoted by globalisation. Another significant section has become addicted to intoxicants like alcohol, cannabis and drugs. If the energy of these youths can be channelled into productive work, we will see a new Assam in the days to come. For this, the government and certain voluntary organizations must come forward to guide these misguided youths onto the right path.

If the markets and farmlands that are gradually slipping out of Assamese hands can be reclaimed by Assamese people, then unemployment will no longer remain a problem in Assam. But along with reclaiming markets and fields, honesty in work is essential. If there is no honesty in our work, if every task is dishonest, then even our own people will not trust us. Without honesty, no one will employ us, and no one will buy goods from us. If an Assamese begins to cheat a fellow Assamese while selling rice door to door by giving 24 kg in a bag instead of 25 kg and turmeric powder is adulterated with rice husk and sawdust, then his business will see a red light after a few days. Profit is necessary in business, but if profit is earned through deceit, that business will very soon face ruin. Whatever work provides our daily bread must be done with dedication and honesty. The business of cheating and fraud is short-lived; honest work is eternal.