O J’s Corner

Bad advice about unemployment dole

Film actor Mammootty was seen the other day on TV advising the government to stop issuing unemployment dole. The youth have vigour, vitality, adventure. Let them work and find gainful employment, so goes his advice. People sitting in ivory towers can go on dispensing pieces of advice. The state should endeavour to furnish employment to the youth. Why do we raise the age ceiling for securing employment? Because they don’t get a job at reasonable youthfulness. It is one thing to say that manual workers and menial employees cannot be found. It is also quite another thing to emphasise that the youth cannot sustain themselves or a family doing menial work. True, when they don’t find regular employment, there should be no hesitation in taking up whatever work that comes by. Do we have any industry of consequence in the manufacturing sector which offers good employment opportunities?

People say Kerala has no resources. Why can’t we convert the rich resources lying embedded in the coastal sand. The coastal sand is full of rare elements. Titanium dioxide is being used for ultra-modern gadgets. Instead of selling the sand, why not link up with some foreign companies with knowhow to manufacture items from our coastal sand which is rich in rare elements.

US President George Bush has spoken about 350 million middle class people in India consuming more now on account of economic growth. But no one highlights the plight of the rest of the population which lives below the poverty line. Povertyline is determined something like this in India. If one gets a monthly income of Rs 356.31 in rural India and Rs 538.61 in urban India, he is considered living above the poverty line. Planning Commission figures are Rs 356.30 and Rs 538.60 monthly income for rural people and urban people respectively to say they are living below the poverty line. At Rs 20 per kilogramme, how much rice can a family procure? Food Minister Divakaran had spoken about the need for people to eat meat, eggs and drink milk. N doubt he has understood this to be a foolish statement.

A lot of the powerful people thrive on black money earned through illegal means. Poor people have nothing. Many of the youth are also turning to illegal ways of finding income, like by selling arrack, extortion, burglary and the like. Things are not rosy.