Guest column: It’s high time to engage youth productively

It is becoming impossible for the government in Punjab to provide jobs to all the unemployed youth, the consequences of which are alarming

The clouds of uncertainty loom large over Punjab, as it is passing through a challenging time, when the youngsters are confronted with complicated challenges like easy availability of drugs, gangster culture, stagnant agriculture, lack of jobs, lack of timely guidance and more. As estimated, the current population of Punjab is around 3.17 crore, of which, the youth constitute about 46.5%. It is becoming impossible for the government to provide jobs to all unemployed youth. The consequences of all these are indeed alarming.

As estimated, the current population of Punjab is around 3.17 crore, of which, the youth constitute about 46.5%. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

First, drugs are taking a toll on young lives. There was a time when campaigns such as ‘Educate Daughter, Save Daughter’ were regarded as the top priority to save daughters from female foeticides, dowry deaths and non-reliable NRI husbands. Now movements such as ‘Save Sons’ are gaining momentum, as we are see reports of at least 1-2 boys dying in the state everyday due to ‘drug overdose’. The detrimental consequences of drugs are clear: precious lives are lost; those who are alive have become a burden on their parents and community. Drug addiction results in constant demand for money which may further result in thefts, snatching, murders, resulting in irreparable damage to the society in the form of insecurity.

Alarming situation

Second, those who are wise enough to stay away from drugs are in the race to pack bags and migrate to foreign lands. Punjab students are making a beeline for foreign universities. This has further created an alarming situation back home for various colleges as admissions have witnessed a sharp decline over the years. Technical colleges are begging for students as is evident statistically that nearly 55% of seats remain vacant every year. In the absence of local students, colleges woo students for admissions from neighboring states such as Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, and even the North-East. Further, the situation has deteriorated more in post-graduation courses, as majority of students after completing their senior secondary classes are not keen on continuing their studies and rush towards IELTS coaching and VISA guidance centers for timely movement. Educated ones adopt a study visa route for safe landing abroad whereas the illiterate ones get trapped by fake travel agents and put their money as well as life at risk. Parents’ full support or may be helplessness is also visible as they are selling their land, taking costly bank loans, or borrowing money from friends to send their children abroad.

Needed: A strategy shift

It is a crucial stage to identify appropriate ways to arrest and reverse this trend. First and foremost, there is a need to engage the most valuable resource i.e. youth in such a productive manner that keeps them away from bad habits and keep them physically, mentally, emotionally and socially healthy. Among some feasible alternatives, the promotion of sports at various levels is an excellent way to keep the young population fit and fine and turn them into productive resources. The new sports policy of the state is a great initiative in this direction. It attempts to identify the budding players at the grassroots level and provide them wide ranging facilities. It is heartening to see that outstanding sportspersons got incentives in cash and job offers. The outcomes are visible as in the recently concluded Asian games at Hangzhou (China), the performance of sportspersons from Punjab among the Indian medal winners is laudable. State wise, Punjab has 32 medal winners which are next only to Haryana’s 44 medal winners. These winners will act as brand ambassadors in improving the image of the state to the outside world especially when the state’s name is tarnished due to drug-related bad news.

Generate job avenues

Furthermore, there is a need to generate sources of jobs also. Though the main occupation of people here is agriculture and allied activities, but now less number of youngsters is interested in this occupation. It is also ironic that they are ready to do any odd job available on foreign shores, but not interested in working in their country. Also, with decreasing underground water level of the state and unwillingness on the part of majority of farmers to break the traditional wheat-rice cycle, there is a need to look forward to some other avenues for adjusting youth. One can be promoting the presence of the private sector in the state for socio-economic growth. Specifically, encouragement must be given to micro, small, and medium-level businesses to take shape.

The concept of entrepreneurship

Additionally, the concept of entrepreneurship needs to be given a serious thought. And if this happens practically, it can be a game changer not only for the state but also for the country. If we look at the economic development of western countries, particularly the United States, one major factor is the presence of student entrepreneurs. There are numerous examples where the business ideas took birth when their promoters were students in colleges/universities. For instance, Google (Larry Page and Sergey Brin), Facebook (Mark Zuckerberg), Snapchat (Evan Spiegel, Reggie Brown, and Bobby Murphy), Reddit (Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian), Time Magazine (Briton Hadden and Henry Luce), WordPress (Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little), FedEx (Frederick W. Smith), etc.

This type of culture needs to be nurtured. Unfortunately, despite the governmental push, the concept of entrepreneurship has not gained as much momentum as desired. One key factor is the preference for government jobs or in MNCs. Middle-income groups prefer their children to clear competitive exams and pick up secured government jobs. Thus, considering the advantages, there is a need to divert students’ attention towards entrepreneurship. Parental support, mentor guidance, facilities in the form of incubation centres, subsidised bank loans with convenient terms and conditions, etc. will be required at the least. If this happens in a true sense, this will result in positive spillover effects like big boost to the ‘Make in India’, generation of jobs and thus income. To conclude, ‘every cloud has a silver lining’. The darkness can always be overcome with light.

The writer is a professor at the University Business School, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Views expressed are personal.