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The Job Of Keeping A State Employed

Uttar Pradesh has a handful of good educational institutes, including an IIT and IIM, but no opportunities whatsoever

The Job Of Keeping A State Employed
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A career in animation beckoned Shashank Sarkar after he completed a course from Bangalore. For this 22-year-old Lucknowite, his first professional port of call would have been his home state바카라”Uttar Pradesh. But to his dismay, there was no scope for an animation expert in the state. 바카라œCrestfallen, I had to take up an assignment in Hyderabad,바카라 he recalls.

Thousands of youth across Uttar Pradesh face a similar dilemma every year, of having to work in other states post their studies. Home to some of the best institutions in the country, including an IIT and an IIM, the state regrettably has very few jobs to offer its youth.

바카라œThe state has no scope for IIT graduates. Our passouts are good at computers but there are no software jobs available in UP, except a few in Noida,바카라 says P.S. Ghoshdastidar, who teaches mechanical engineering at IIT Kanpur.

바카라œThe industrial sector is virtually absent in UP. The government here can take a cue from Aurangabad, which has become an industrial hub,바카라 says Amrita Dass, director of the Institute of Career Studies, Lucknow. In UP, there are jobs available only in the services sector바카라”banking, retail and law, she says. She also advocates promoting agri-based industry, including in food processing and also training the rural population in scientific methods of farming. 

바카라œLack of employability feeds lack of professional opportunities in UP,바카라 says A.K. Jain, professor of economics at Allahabad University. Sadly, he says, the youth lack the qualities needed to be gainfully employed. 바카라œEducation is a business in the state and we are churning out students who are not equipped with the skills needed. This keeps multinational companies away from the state,바카라 he says.

Many people who have the skills are trapped in the state. Says Sudeep Singh, an HR professional working with a major telecom giant in Lucknow, 바카라œI was offered promotion and a pay hike, but I had to move to Delhi. I dreaded the prospect of shifting to Delhi, because Lucknow is my home and I have to take care of my parents too.바카라 Working outside one바카라™s own state involves many issues바카라”security for ageing parents and the family home, to name a few.

Says Santosh Tripathi, a former associate professor at DAV College, Kanpur, 바카라œMany people are into low-end jobs.바카라 However, there are areas that the state can promote바카라“tourism, for instance. 바카라œA lot of jobs and revenue can be generated through the tourism sector,바카라 says Tripathi.

For politicians, however, blaming each other is a way to get around the issue. 바카라œWhen the Bahujan Samaj Party was in power, we set in motion the process to appoint 72,000 teachers. The Samajwadi Party government stymied our efforts,바카라 alleges Swami Prasad Maurya, national general secretary of the BSP.

He offers the division of UP into several parts, as suggested by BSP supremo Mayawati, as a solution to the lack of employment. 바카라œAt present, UP cannot be governed properly, given its mammoth population. If we divide the state into four parts, each state will have its own development plan and hence more jobs,바카라 he says.

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