With the unemployment across the nation including the newly formed Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir mainly due to rising population accom- panied by other multiple factors, there is a dire need to make a serious introspection to find out where we have failed in our initiative to address this vital issue and then bring a paradigm shift in the employment policies besides bringing a paradigm shift in the mindset of the youth towards entrepreneurial ventures instead of waiting to get the Govt jobs which are quite limited in numbers as com- pared to the number of youth seeking jobs. So far as the present situation is concerned, India is a nation with the biggest youth power in the world and most probably with the biggest army of unemployed youth. It is not that those failing to get employment are not qualified as per the requirements of the job market but the fact is that the number of jobs across the nation is far less as compared to the number of youth seeking jobs. This can be best proved by the statistics in the J&K Union Territory where situation continues to be far from satisfactory. The most disturbing factor here is that the applicants for even the lowest cadre peon post and similar posts include hun- dreds of topmost qualification holders beyond graduate and post graduate degree holders. This clearly indicates that highly qualified unemployed youth unable to get the jobs get compelled to apply even for such jobs which are not commensurate to their qualifications. As of today the widening of the already huge gap between what industry wants and what universities and educational institutions are producing is yet another hurdle in securing the employment. Being citizens of the world’s youngest coun- try with lakhs of young men and women possessing decent qualifications fighting for such low cadre jobs, it is high time that we all ponder over this serious matter and rethink our governance priorities especially in view of the nation’s demographic bulge that can be definitely of eco- nomic advantage only if the policy makers take some time to meticulously plan a comprehensive policy with a para- digm shift from the existing policies, taking due care of achieving both short as well as long term results. The pol- icy would deliver the desired results only if it is planned by focussed more on regional potentials for expanding the employment avenues, be it tourism or other sectors. In this regard Agriculture sector has the greatest potential of addressing the unemployment issue. Meanwhile the youth can themselves play the most proactive role by changing their mindset from being job seekers to be job providers by establishing their own business ventures in today’s novel era of youth entrepreneurship promoted by the Union Government. In this regard Centre has launched multiple schemes tailored specially for the youth and it is for the youth now to come forward and avail the benefit of these central sponsored schemes setting up their own ventures instead of wasting their precious time in waiting to get Govt jobs. By doing so, they will not only generate handsome incomes for themselves but would also generate job avenues for others besides boosting the overall economic growth.
