AERIAL VIEW
The decision to fill up 10 lakh posts in the next 18 months means that the ruling BJP will have something solid to counter the criticism of the government on the issue of unemployment in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Why I say this sounds similar to what Dr Pramod Sawant did in Goa ahead of February 2022 Assembly polls.
A good year before polls, Sawant went gaga, saying the government would recruit 10,000 posts, which created a hype but that promise only turned out a damp squib.
Not that recruitments were not carried out. Definitely there was, but what was the number and how many of them were only on a contract basis? How many of them were awarded to BJP supporters? What was the Sattari quota? All these questions also need to be answered first.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narender Modi has asked various government departments and ministries to undertake the recruitment of 10 lakh people on a “mission mode” in the next year and a half.
The direction came following a review of the status of human resources in all government departments and ministries, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
The government’s decision comes amid the Opposition’s frequent criticism of it on the issue of unemployment. A large number of vacancies in different government sectors has often been flagged to buttress this point.
The decision to fill up 10 lakh posts in the next 18 months means that the ruling BJP will have something solid to counter the criticism of the government on the issue of unemployment in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Why I say this sounds similar to what Dr Pramod Sawant did in Goa ahead of February 2022 Assembly polls.
A good year before polls, Sawant went gaga, saying the government would recruit 10,000 posts, which created a hype but that promise only turned out a damp squib.
Not that recruitments were not carried out. Definitely there was, but what was the number and how many of them were only on a contract basis? How many of them were awarded to BJP supporters? What was the Sattari quota? All these questions also need to be answered first.
Officials say the recruitment number, even if you consider contract basis and police recruitments, must be less than 5000. Amongst these, some jobs in PWD were scrapped, after allegations of a scam while the process of some was stopped due to Model Code of Conduct coming into force.
So what is the status of these jobs, Mr CM?
Will, the process of these posts, restart, or now that you have won with a thumping majority, you will conveniently forget the promise?
Now that the Prime Minister has announced a bounty of 10 lakh jobs, the Chief Minister was quick to ask Goan youth to prepare for competitive exams at the national level.
Yes, the CM is right to ask youth to prepare for exams as the State government cannot provide jobs for everyone. This is a reality.
But, the question is whether 10 lakh posts would be recruited or is it another jumla?
Also, in Goa today, many professionals in Goa like engineers, doctors, graphic designers, and so also skilled workers are looking for jobs elsewhere, maybe abroad, and many other are vying for Portuguese passports. The reason is simple unemployment.
Instead of showing the carrot of government jobs, the government would do good by getting promising non-polluting industries in Goa, which can provide jobs to thousands of youth. And also stop the brain drain.
What Modi is doing is trying to create a safe passage for 2024. He knows things are not as easy as in 2014 and 2019, and this announcement is clearly with an eye on 2024 parliamentary polls.