Shillong, Oct 31: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday said looking at only government jobs is a “narrow approach” even as he highlighted the different policies of the government to address the unemployment problem faced by the youth of the state.
“If one has to look at only government jobs as jobs then that is being very narrow in the approach,” Sangma told reporters when responding to a query related to the unemployment rally which turned violent and the steps taken by the government to address the issue.
He said government jobs are there and of course they need to be filled up and the process is on.
“As I said, even the fact that the temporary teachers that were there, who now ofcourse made it as an issue, who could not make it (the selection) when the posts were regularized – you have to realize that these posts were temporary posts and these posts were casual teachers and today against those 1000 casual posts 1000 permanent teachers have been appointed,” Sangma said.
“Similarly, the recruitment process for all the other government sector departments are going on even as we speak. Therefore, the process is on. Things will take time as Covid has not been something that has helped us – so all these are being addressed. Therefore, as I said the concerns that have been raised by many people are of course concerns of the government also and steps have been taken in a detailed manner to ensure this issue is addressed but, as I said, every state government and every country faces the problem of unemployment,” he added.
On the FKJGP’s demand for a state employment policy, the chief minister said job creation is not an angle from which you can simply look into one sector.
Stating that the government has come up with different policies to create job opportunities to the unemployed people of the state, Sangma said, “Every sector is being done precisely with this objective of providing jobs and to address the issue of unemployment. I have explained to you how in the entrepreneurship sector, we have come up with a specific policy for starters in entrepreneurship that itself is a policy for addressing unemployment issues.”
In the farming sector, he said the government has come up with a policy for having different programmes – be it the FOCUS programme, be it the milk mission, the piggery mission or the other missions – these are policies to address unemployment in the agriculture sector.
He said the government has also created programmes for different women groups.
“These are programmes where 40,000 women groups have over 4 lakh members in this, they have been given financial support and help and today this policy is creating livelihood and helping unemployment situation… that is the policy which is related to women.”
Further, the CM said that the government has also come up with a detailed policy in the tourism sector.
“In tourism, we have come up (with a) detailed policy on how we should go for infrastructure development in the important locations that are there, whether we should go for homestay programmes, whether we should come up with high-end hotel rooms, whether we should come up with vehicles to support the youngsters, who will become travel agents and provide taxis that are required – these are tourism related policies to address unemployment in the state,” he further added.
