An Effective Solution to the Unemployment Problem
The ever-increasing rate of unemployment is a cause of deep concern for everyone. At the beginning of the year, it had reached 7.8%, and the situation has worsened because of the global crisis due to COVID. The latest information shows that the unemployment rate is 6.4% in villages and 9.7% in urban areas.
What is even more worrisome is that the crime rate is also rising with the increasing unemployment rate. The lures of the movies and newspapers entice a person to dream of luxurious living with the best of phones, cars, and houses. But lack of employment then steers such people to commit crimes and other wrongdoings. The moment they tread on such a path, they come in touch with the wrong company and soon are trapped by drugs and other vices. Consequently, a single problem of unemployment gives birth to many issues — crime, violence, drugs, and many others.
It is an unfortunate truth that the youth of the world today are rapidly moving in the direction of misconduct and crime. If we take the example of our own capital city Delhi, the crime rate has increased three times in the last four decades. Along with this, incidents of naxalism, violence, rape, terrorism, etc., have also increased. Rising unemployment is a contributor to this too.
The Role of Mechanization and Globalization
Multinational Companies (MNCs) are ruling the roost everywhere in the country today. If mechanization has snatched the livelihood of laborers and farmers, computerization and automation are doing the same to office employees.
It is not that scientific progress is the reason for unemployment but being unable to keep pace with progress is one of the reasons for the rate of rise in unemployment. It is also true that multinational companies are establishing their presence in India at a fast pace, but education and training programs of the personnel are not being done at a corresponding rate. This has resulted in many people not being able to upgrade their skills fast enough, which has led to the loss of jobs.
Until last year, there was a massive demand for Chinese products. They were cheaper than those made in India, which resulted in people losing interest in products made here. People used to ignore products made in India and bought stuff made in China. Even though the quality of these products was low and durability less, people still preferred them since they were cheaper. This was a massive blow to the Indian industrial system. The global pandemic created by Corona Virus originated from Wuhan province in China, and unrest in the Indo-China border resulted in a rapid decline in attraction towards all products manufactured in China.
The Swadeshi Solution
When we buy and use products manufactured in India, there is a good possibility of us solving the widely prevalent problems of poverty and unemployment. Local products may be a little expensive but are of better quality and have the added advantage of providing employment to our countrymen. Also, it is easier to get products replaced or repaired in case an issue comes up, which cannot be said about foreign products that do not come with any warranty.
Param Pujya Gurudev started Self-Reliance programs and training in Shantikunj in the 1980s itself with this very objective in mind. Before that, Gurudev established Yug Nirman School in Tapobhumi, Mathura, for the same purpose. During those days, a renowned thinker had asked Param Pujya Gurudev about the reason behind the initiative, and Gurudev had replied: 'Progress of India is incomplete without self-reliance and a concrete plan for the development of rural India. We will get real Independence (Swarajya) only when we embrace these tenets in their truest sense. By doing this, we can accomplish sustainable progress and lead our country towards economic self-reliance while providing jobs to the nation's youth.'
This is the very reason why Param Pujya Gurudev emphasized on establishing Ideal Villages that were healthy, clean, educated, self-reliant, addiction-free, cultured, and cooperative. The training center started in Shantikunj gradually took the shape of a big Self-reliance Training School under the umbrella of Dev Sanskriti University. Training is provided in producing handloom cloth, handmade paper, food products, and many others.
Reviving the Handloom Legacy
Decades ago, Mahatma Gandhi had championed the cause of locally woven cloth and appealed to people to stop using fabric made in Manchester, England. As a result of this, thousands of unemployed found a means of livelihood in India. Today, we again see the reversing trend — there is an increased trend towards using western clothes like jeans instead of handloom fabrics. This has led thousands of Indian weavers to dire poverty.
During these times, the model established by Param Pujya Gurudev in Shantikunj has created a new enthusiasm for handloom clothes. Starting with paper, the entire stationery being handmade has helped provide employment while also fulfilling environmental protection responsibility.
The Way Forward
People are being given free food grains, subsidized groceries, and even free mobiles and laptops in many states. But the most important requirement today is employment, and that can be effectively solved by Swadeshi Svavalamban (indigenous self-reliance). If this is not done while there is time, the crime rate, violence, and all kinds of wrongdoings will continue to rise.
People should embark on small-scale industries, cottage industries, the creation of local products and their training, and putting these products on the global market. This can help us check on foreign goods in the local market while increasing employment opportunities for our people.
No country, however rich, can afford the waste of its human resources. Demoralization caused by vast unemployment is our greatest extravagance. Morally, it is the greatest menace to our social order. — Franklin D. Roosevelt
A man willing to work and unable to find work is perhaps the saddest sight that fortune's inequality exhibits under this sun. — Thomas Carlyle