Congress party is on its way to fulfill the promises made in its election manifesto.
On March 27, the Congress government proposed to provide Rs 750-1,500 as unemployment allowance to the jobless youth of the state, who are registered at the employment exchange for the past three years. That’s those who have registered themselves after February 2010, will not eligible yet, for the unemployment allowance.

It also promised to provide 50 per cent more allowance to girls and those from the science stream.

The announcement in this regard is made during the Governor's address in The Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha.

I have some objections and suggestions to the Uttarakhand Government’s new unemployment allowance scheme:

1) Providing 50 percent more unemployment allowance to Girls, will throttle their job prospects. As many parents, may not send their daughters for jobs. Especially to places far from their homes OR to a job which pays remuneration slightly more than what is paid by the Government as allowance. And job, even if it pays Rs 2000 is far better than unemployment allowance paid for sitting idle.

2) Unemployment allowance should be given to just out of college people; and that too for a limited time period. Say 3 years. This will help them until they land some useful employment. On contrary, the Government’s decision to keep less than three years of registration outside the ambit of allowance looks misplaced.

3) The Government should also chalk out a clear strategy, on how it will ascertain; a person registered at one of its employment exchanges is not in some useful employment – Like some shop, private enterprise, private school or self-business. If not implemented well, the unemployment allowance scheme of Uttarakhand Government can go quite wrong; like the BPL card scheme, wherein people from both civil and defense sector, in useful and well paying employment and above BPL benchmark are availing the facility. Although this may appear a small thing: but if similar happens with unemployment allowance scheme: then Uttarakhand can have a significant number of youths who will lose initiative for a job. If idleness becomes virtue, bad habits come along (like drugs).

One thing which needs to be understood by both the Government and the youth in Uttarakhand is that, most of the employment generation in any state or country happens at Private sector; Hence having pride in one’s private job is utmost essential. If a young man/woman while employed at private sector, keeps another eye at Government sector jobs; then not only his chances of making it to the Government job decrease, but his/her job prospects in the current job decrease too. Hence if you are at a private sector job, be strong enough to denounce (not go for) the Government’s unemployment allowance. Instead try to grow in your current job.

Denounce Government’s unemployment allowance?

Yes.

There are reasons for it:

Welfare Governments like India, run countless such schemes for its people. And they never ever investigate, who gets the benefit OR whether the scheme is being misused. Hence if above BPL people take BPL card ration; no Government will ever launch an investigation. In a similar manner, if a youth at some job avails unemployment allowance; he/she will never be caught.

To be assured, the Government will never come after people who take something which they don’t deserved.
Why?

As the Welfare Governments across the world, including India, run such schemes with one core belief: For humans spreading one’s hand to get an allowance or free ration or free food or free shelter, is always demeaning(Cause a severe loss in the dignity). Hence only a person, in real need will put his/her Self-respect at stake by spreading his/her hand before others, including the Government.


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