Agenda for Rural India: Unemployed- Choice or Compulsion?

As we traveled through the expanse of the country, the conversation around unemployment seemed to be one unfortunate thread that remained common in all parts of the country. Across the five regions, we noticed that youth unemployment stood out as a particular point of contention. In some places it was underemployment for the educated, in other places it was a lack of diverse industry for people to be able to happily engage themselves in. In all cases, the bleakness of a lack of choice coloured the conversations surrounding livelihood.

Also Read This: Agriculture needs hand holding now: Existential crisis for rural India 

While issues of livelihood and government policy were debated amongst the various groups, many, particularly those engaged in agriculture, did not want their children to follow their profession. In Muzaffarnagar, this led to many young people migrating to larger cities in search of better opportunities and lifestyles. Having watched their parents go into debt while farming and being discouraged from following the profession, many young people do not want to continue looking after the fields with their parents.

Also Read This: No More Blue Skies: Rural India's Pollution & Climate Battle

A possible solution for how this migration away from the village could be stemmed is to equip the youth with a technical education for farming. But this is not happening. The educational curriculum remains largely alienated from agricultural needs and the general impression of the education received in these areas is that the quality is not top-notch.

Also Read This: Agenda for Rural India: Agriculture- Difficult Harvests

Many of these sentiments were echoed in the convenings in other parts of the country. In Jodhpur, Rajasthan, it was pointed out that unemployment was a major issue before the youth and that if electoral representatives prioritized policies supporting small businesses and supporting manufacturing set ups that they would be more likely to vote for them. In Meghalaya, the widespread unemployment was linked to the increase in drug and alcohol addiction among the youth. The lack of adequate employment was also linked to the poor maintenance of public infrastructure, like roads, that discouraged trade.

In both the Odisha and Tamil Nadu convenings, political corruption was linked to unemployment in their regions. In Odisha, ineffective governance was a particular frustration that was often cited.

Also Read This: Rural India still awaits basic infrastructure and services 

It is important to note that in all these cases, underemployment and the lack of choice when it came to employment were all identified as problems of equal importance as outright unemployment. In a departure from previous generations, employment is seen not just about making ends meet but about finding surplus income, purpose, and recognition. Unfortunately, the work options in rural areas are not able to provide that to the youth today.

(The author is programme associate with Socratus.)