Why did educated segments of West Bengal purchase jobs at school?

By Harasankar Adhikari
For a long time, unemployment has been a serious and vital crisis in India. It is very intense in West Bengal. There is no significant vacancy for the replacement of youth with various degrees. For an extended period of time, there are no industries or production sectors. Only urban centric service sectors are in operation. There is no employment guarantee with justified incentives. Second, these jobs are not prestigious or dignified for those with advanced degrees. And the West Bengal government has done nothing to effectively absorb this section. It results in huge youth migration to different parts of the country. Furthermore, degree holders in Bengal and their families seek or prefer jobs in the public sector or in public enterprises. It may be a peon's job or something like this. They have no choice of a higher or lower post. There is only one berth available in government sectors.
Local political leaders and their agents in Bengal have promoted this expectation. It concerns a job in the public sector as a platform for guaranteeing government jobs. They had a fixed rate chart (which we are getting for a few lakh rupees) for bribes for their negotiations and lobbying for job seekers in their areas. In this case, the job seekers only need a degree. Even so, it's amazing that the agent got a degree for money. The concerned department did not follow any standard rules, which we are learning from the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI during the present investigation of this scam. After a prolonged discussion and interaction with the job seekers as well as the victims, it was recorded that the job seekers got a job and they managed this amount of bribes from (1) would be father-in-law with an assurance to marry his daughter, (2) arranging this amount after selling their movable and immovable assets, and (3) taking a loan from private sources at a high rate of interest.
Now all of them are in acute social and economic crisis. It is a big problem of their living with their neighbor. Their families are almost boycotted with regard to social prestige. They are stigmatised for their corruption. Their mental health is also in crisis. It has also disrupted the education system in West Bengal. Students' and their families’ attitudes towards teachers and the education system are remarkably unhealthy.
The leaders or agents of a particular political party entice the educated, unemployed youth of Bengal. It is an open-secret for all of us. The government claims that it has opened various venues for youth's employment, and they share a statistic. All this information is practically wrong and politically biased. There is no fair selection for government jobs. The youth is depressed and remorseful. And political parties are only using this resource, and they are not creating proper space for this great resource for the betterment of the country. But they would be violent in the future. The political party and their leaders and agents should be cautious.

Comments

Tulsi Patel said…

unemployment scene is as pathetic in Rajasthan. A scene from the mushroomimg coaching centres run in various towns and cities that coach thousands of 'young graduate government job aspirants' over each of the several shifts a day racing to a mirage of non-appointing for available jobs and consistent paper leak issues that keep the mirage chaseable is heart rending. Shame on the system.

March 08, 2023

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Beneath the stone: Revisiting the New Jersey mandir controversy

By Rajiv Shah A recent report published in the British media outlet The Guardian , titled “Workers carved the largest modern Hindu temple in the west. Now, some have incurable lung disease,” took me back to my visits to the New Jersey mandir —first in 2022, when it was still under construction, though parts of it were open to visitors, and again in 2024, after its completion.

School closures across states raise concerns amid Govt of India claims of improved access

By A Representative A recent report has raised concerns over the closure and merger of government schools in several Indian states, particularly in Bihar, where a significant number of institutions have reportedly been shut down or earmarked for closure.

Health activist group raises concerns over HPV vaccination drive, seeks temporary halt

By A Representative Swasthya Adhikar Manch, a public health advocacy group, has urged the Union government to ensure greater accountability and transparency in the ongoing Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign, and called for its temporary suspension pending a comprehensive review. In a letter addressed to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, the group flagged what it described as unresolved concerns surrounding the nationwide rollout of the HPV vaccine, which began on February 28, 2026. The campaign targets 14-year-old girls and involves administering Gardasil, a quadrivalent vaccine intended to protect against certain strains of HPV linked to cervical cancer.

Search This Blog