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    4.5 crore people waiting for government jobs across country

    Synopsis

    According to the data presented in Parliament on Thursday, there are 4.47 crore people registered with employment exchanges in the country.

    TNN
    (This story originally appeared in on Dec 07, 2014)
    R Vadivelu, a qualified technician in Theni district of Tamil Nadu, got a government job 30 years after he registered with an employment exchange. By the time he got the appointment letter, he was 58 years old and he worked for only 10 months before retiring.

    Across India there are many like him, waiting patiently for a government job after registering with employment exchanges. croreAccording to the data presented in Parliament on Thursday, there are 4.47 crore people registered with employment exchanges in the country. Despite being an industrialized state, Tamil Nadu tops states in the number of people waiting for government jobs. The state has 77 lakh people who have registered their names with employment exchanges. West Bengal comes second with 70.68 lakh people, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 60.70 lakh.

    Vadivelu registered in an employment exchange in Madurai in 1987 and got an appointment letter in the middle of 2012. "I joined as a fitter in a government workshop in Theni and worked for 10 months and retired in 2013. Though I represented my case to several depart ments and even to the assembly, I did not get any relief," said Vadivelu. He is not eligible for pension and hence the basic objective of landing a government job -financial security in old age -has been defeated.

    "Whether the state is industrialized or not, people still clamour for a government job because of the security it offers. A person after entering government service need not fear about losing the employment and there is also financial security after retirement in the form of pension," said Jawaharlal Nehru University economist Prof Jayati Ghosh. Though there are many industries in Tamil Nadu, including those that are labour-intensive, not many jobs are created to absorb the labour force with basic education and low skills, she said.

    Some states like Ta mil Nadu have many vacancies in govern ment departments and can also create more jobs. “The job struc ture currently in prac tice in government departments was designed in 1947. Since then the population and government functions have increased manifold but successive governments have not taken steps to change the structure and give opportunities to people willing to join government service,“ said Tamil Nadu Government Employees Association general secretary R Balasubramanian.

    Most of those who have registered in employment exchanges have either fin ished their higher second ary or hold a degree. There are a few doctors and engineers too. Minister of state for labour and employment Bandaru Dattatreya, in a reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, recently said: "The government has taken steps to enhance employability and employment in the coun try by promoting labour-in tensive industries like con struction, real estate, transport and tourism and establishing micro, small and medium enterprises."

    The Economic Times

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