Presenting a grim picture of unemployment in Chhattisgarh, thousands of graduates and postgraduates, some with even PhD degrees, recently appeared in a written examination to qualify for the jobs of peons in government offices. The minimum criteria for the job were class 8-pass, knowing to ride a bicycle and basic writing skills.
There were long queues outside 657 examination centres in Raipur as 2.25 lakh candidates had applied for only 91 vacant peon posts in different government departments.
Manoj Kumar Patel, a science graduate, once had an ambition to be a Deputy Collector. After years of unemployment, he is now ready to take up the job of a peon. "I am still preparing for the Union Public Service Commission examination, but years of unemployment have forced me to apply for the job of a peon," he said.
Even engineering graduates had lined up for a peon's job. Saurabh Chandrakar, an electronics and telecommunications engineer, applied for a peon's job after he failed to find a suitable employment in his field.
There were long queues outside the examination centres in Raipur
Narmada Chakradhari, an MA in Hindi, said: "I appeared in many exams for government jobs, but just couldn't get through. Now my family wants me to get just any job. So, I have applied for the peon's post."
Data from Chhattisgarh government claim the state has the lowest unemployment rate in the country. This August, unemployment in the state was at 0.4 per cent, compared to 8.3 per cent nationally, official statistics showed.
Yet, daily wage worker Yogesh Wankhede died by suicide in Raipur last week after he was sacked. He was working as a driver in the state Food Department as a daily wage earner for the past eight years. His wife Sarswati Wankhede claimed that even the court had ruled in his favour, allowing him to return to his job, but his employers just didn't let him.
Opposition BJP has questioned Chhattisgarh government's claims about the state's unemployment rate. Taking a swipe at the Congress government, former minister and senior BJP leader Ajay Chandrakar said: "CMIE [Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy] has been repeatedly claiming that Chhattisgarh has the lowest employment rate among all states. However, the reality is that 2.25 lakh applications were received for 91 peon posts in government departments. This government does nothing except spreading lies.
Reacting to the BJP jibe, senior Minister Amarjeet Bhagat said: "The Central government has failed to fulfil its election promise of providing two crore jobs to the youth every year. BJP should pay attention to the fact that they are privatising each and every institution in the country that is capable of providing government jobs."
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