DEHRADUN: Forced out of jobs due to the pandemic and subsequent lockdown, educated youth — including professional and technical degrees holders — are seeking menial jobs for sustenance.
Engineering graduates and diploma and master’s degree holders have applied for manual jobs under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in Uttarakhand.
Several aspirants said they had applied, but hadn’t yet got work.
“I have applied for work under the rural employment guarantee scheme after I lost my job in Haryana. I returned to my village as the lockdown was lifted, but there were no job prospects. I am hoping to get some work in my village now,” said Mukesh Singh, a resident of Laddi village in Champawat district and a diploma holder in mechanical engineering.
Kundan Singh, who holds a polytechnic diploma, has also applied for MGNREGS work through village panchayat members. Officials say steps are being taken to ensure employment to those who have lost jobs.
Last month, the state government had sent a proposal to the Centre seeking approval to provide 200 days of work under the MGNREGS.
At present, the scheme provides guarantee for 100 days of work in a year.
Uttarakhand’s unemployment rate increased to 8.7% in June compared to 8% in May, said a survey by Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, a Mumbai-based think tank.
Scheme for self-employment
In May, the state launched ‘Mukhyamantri Swarojgar Yojana’ to provide jobs for returnee migrants.
The scheme aims to provide an investment subsidy of 15-25% to those starting their own businesses