[dropcap]F[/dropcap]or the unemployed youth in Nagaland, there apparently is a silver lining still after, no doubt, a great deal of frustration. Perhaps for the first time the Nagaland department of Employment and Craftsmen Training has initiated a “Job oriented skill development Mela” to which it has invited young people looking for skill development opportunities, job and career opportunities and for exposure and new opportunities.The Job Fair will also in one way be a test of our mettle as society i.e if we as a community have nurtured our future generation, the youth to become ‘educated but unemployable’ or ‘uneducated but employable’ The veil will soon be off.
With the theme “There is nothing proud about being unemployed” the department encourages all aspirants under-matric, matric, graduate, post-graduate etc to the two-day said Mela at Agri-Expo, Dimapur on November 20 and 21, 2013 from 9 am onwards. This is in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, Directorate General of Employment and Training (DGE &T), New Delhi. However, the Mela is also being organized in partnership with YouthNet and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
The DGE & T is the national portal of India, developed with an objective to enable a single window access to information and services being provided by the various Indian Government entities. The content in this Portal is the result of a collaborative effort of various Indian Government Ministries and departments at the Central/State/District levels. This Portal is Mission Mode Project under the National E-Governance Plan, designed and maintained by National Informatics Centre (NIC), DeitY, MoCIT, and Government of India.
The majority of the population of India comprises the youths. Therefore, it is necessary not only to address problems faced by the youths but also provide them opportunities to grow. This factor applies on priority basis for unemployed youths of Nagaland also.
The Mela will further provide information related to schemes, welfare programmes and initiatives taken by the government for overall development of youths in the country. Users can also access information about the sports councils, organizations, youth services and various other measures of the government. Information related to various sports, youth affairs and sporting infrastructure will also be provided.
Nagaland Parliamentary Secretary for Justice and Law, Land Revenue and Labour and Employment, Dr Neikiesalie (Nicky) Kire, had in a press conference last week, reiterated what was already a very well known statistic. Since there are no sufficient Government jobs in Nagaland, he advocated that every unemployed youth should come forward and participate in the Mela.
Over 80 companies (providers of employment) across India including Nagaland will participate in the Mela. It is envisaged that over 15,000 Naga youths are likely to get jobs if they can get through the basic requirements depending on the particular vocation an individual opts for. No qualification has been fixed for the unemployed youths to take part in the Mela as the organizers feel that uneducated youths too have some kind of skill or the other to get a job.
There will be both direct and indirect recruitment where the job providers will select candidates, provide skill trainings and give placement to those who are deemed suitable to work in their companies. Till date, over 2,000 applicants from all parts of Nagaland have registered for the Mela. However, there will be on the spot registration at the site also. For the duration of training that will follow, the Central Ministry will provide Rs 300 daily plus traveling expenses and free stay.
Dr Nicky Kire reiterated that providing a platform to our youths to find jobs has been one of the top most priorities of the Government. He however, expressed concern whether or not the youths would be able to bear the work load assigned to them by the companies as many are wont to get into a job without adhering to the code of work culture.
The NBCC had already aimed at sending forth 10,000 missionaries and in a decade it is yet to achieve its target due to various factors. Mela in Hindi literally means a Fair, a gathering of stalls and amusements for public entertainment; a periodic gathering for the sale of goods; and exhibition to promote particular products. In another sense, it also means a sorry state of affairs, a joke, an embarrassment.
Nevertheless, job potential for 15,000 Naga youths is an inspiring aim and it is to be hoped that our youngsters will not miss this golden opportunity—unlike most other Government projects that start with a big bang like the creation of the universe but which instead of creating more and more galaxies in its expansion, have contracted and fizzled out. Good luck and God bless.
