Locals in ‘all jobs’

The front-page lead story of the Saturday edition of this newspaper has focused on a grave subject pertaining to the economy, society and culture of the state. It has mentioned that while there are about 78.73 lakh registered workers in Assam, the actual percentage of youth belonging to various indigenous communities in the state is abysmally low. Citing official statistics, it has stated that the number of registered workers is very high in those districts where people of immigrant stock, having roots in erstwhile East Bengal/Pakistan or present-day Bangladesh, are today in the majority. In sharp contrast, the number of registered workers is strikingly low in districts where the majority population belongs to indigenous communities. As mentioned, Nagaon—where immigrant Muslims are in the majority—has over 5.48 lakh registered workers. Likewise, the figure is 5.47 lakh in Barpeta, 4.56 lakh in Dhubri, 3.20 lakh in Darrang and 3.14 lakh in Sribhumi. In contrast, the number of registered workers in Majuli is only around 44,000; in West Karbi Anglong, around 39,000; in Dima Hasao, only around 20,000; and in Tamulpur, only around 5,000. Charaideo is probably the only district with a high percentage of indigenous population, which has about 85,000 registered workers. The news story also highlighted that in a recent urgent effort to beautify Guwahati ahead of the Japanese Prime Minister’s visit (which was ultimately cancelled), approximately 90 per cent of the workforce hired by contractors were unfamiliar faces, likely not from Kamrup (Metro) or nearby districts, but rather from areas where the demographic has significantly shifted in recent decades due to substantial immigration from the neighbouring country. While this situation reflects only one side of the story, what must be considered as the other side is the lack of interest among young people from Indigenous communities in registering themselves as workers of various categories with the government. It is an undeniable reality that while a large number of young people belonging to various indigenous communities have remained enrolled in various institutions of higher education, the major chunk of young people belonging to the immigrant community have not only registered themselves as workers with the particular government agency but have also learnt various skills and begun earning money, in the process capturing a larger portion of the cake. One cannot, however, blame the youth segment of both categories. On one hand, the government has opened several institutions of higher education – mostly by upgrading existing colleges to universities – while on the other hand, the majority of the youth belonging to the indigenous communities, after acquiring a degree or a master’s degree, have begun targeting white-collar jobs, especially those available through the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) and other state government agencies. The government and the so-called student bodies, including the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and AJYCP, have not bothered to help indigenous youth earnestly pursue larger all-India-level recruitments, such as those by the railways, defence forces, and central armed forces, and to guide them in obtaining such jobs. Instead of spending lakhs of rupees organising various festivals at various levels by collecting donations from the trading community, the AASU should have actually focused on motivational and coaching programmes that can help the youth of indigenous communities obtain jobs in the railways, the army, banks, and various central armed forces. It’s sad that the AASU, AJYCP, and other student groups have failed to support the students they claim to represent. In the given circumstances, the ruling alliance partners – BJP, AGP, BPF, and UPPL – likely bear the responsibility of motivating young people from indigenous communities to seek opportunities in the larger job market, which requires many individuals trained in various technical vocations. Since the ruling alliance has received overwhelming support from all the indigenous communities, it is up to its constituents to explore this area. Every hon’ble MLA, for instance, can set up a special cell in his or her respective constituency which will look after the career, job or livelihood needs of the young people within that jurisdiction. The exercise can also comprise manpower planning for the various constituencies and districts, as well as training programmes in different areas. When the so-called student and youth bodies have failed miserably, it is the responsibility of the elected representatives to intervene. After all, the BJP-led alliance has won on the plank of protecting the indigenous communities.