The Railways Recruitment Board (RRB) job protests are not a problem per se, these protests are just a small manifestation of a much larger crisis facing the country at the moment -- unemployment. And the dangerous vicious circle this unemployment can lead to is huge.
How and why did the protests start?
Several students' organisations, including the All India Students Association (AISA) called for a state-wide bandh in Bihar on Friday as a means of registering its protest against the alleged irregularities in the Railway Recruitment Board's Non-Technical Popular Categories (RRB-NTPC) exam 2021.
State-wide protests started after a few groups of students came together to voice their opinion against the recruitment process. They claimed that there were discrepancies in the recruitment process of RRB.
What changes did the government introduce?
Apparently, the government's decision to conduct two computer-based tests (CBT) for the RRB Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC) has unsettled thousands of students across the state who wanted and expected a single test. They also say that they were informed of only single test.
What the protestors claim?
It was earlier this month on January 14 that the results for CBT-I for Group D jobs was released, which shortlisted the candidates for CBT-II. It is this criterion that protestors stand against as they say that initial RRB notice inviting applications had spoken of only one exam.
And the issue gets politicised
Where ever there are numbers, masses, there are political parties ready to politicise the situation rather than solve or fuse it. There is no denying the joblessness pervading all sections and cities of India. In a joint statement issued in Patna, earlier this week on Thursday, the RJD, Congress, CPI and CPM said, that Bihar had the maximum number of youth in the country and also the highest unemployment rate.
They said that students were being cheated by Bihar and the Centre. Former Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Modi, said the state government shouldn't take any harsh decision against the agitating studnets. He also said that he personally met the Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw who assured him that the ministry will not conduct two exams.
What the protestors did?
Protests were held in several cities of the state including, Patna, Bhagalpur, Sasaram Gaya, Bhojpur, Buxar, Samsipur, Muzaffarpur, for nearly five to six hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. The angry mob of students allegedly torched four empty coaches of a stationary train in Gaya and also blocked rail traffic between Gaya and Jehanabad.
The protestors had also stopped trains like Rajendra Nagar-New Delhi Tejas Rajdhani express, the Sampoorna Kranti express, South Bihar express and Mumbai bound Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express.
How the situation has panned out, so far?
Angry students displaying their desperation for employment, although illegal, deserve a better handling of the situation rather than iron fist. On the 25th of January, the Railways issued a public notice stating that Railway job aspirants who indulged in vandalism/unlawful activities may be looking at lifetime debarment from not just railway but all government jobs.
A Committee has been formed
Patna district magistrate Dr Chadrashekhar Singh and city SSP reportedly met a few coaching institute teachers and urged them not to instigate students. In the meanwhile, a day after the government's announcement on penalising those indulging in vandalism, the Union Railway ministry formed a committee to examine grievances of protesting aspirants.
Talking of unemployment, in the country
This is an issue concerning not one state but the entire nation collectively. Social activists, economists have time and again warned of the lethal social consequences of rising and unprecedented unemployment.
India has 5.3 crore unemployed
India has 53 million unemployed people as of December 2021, says the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). Of these alarming number, 35 million are the unemployed who are actively seeking jobs, while 17 million are those who are willing to work but not actively seeking employment.
In its weekly analysis, CMIE said, "India needs to immediately provide employment to the 7.9 per cent who are in the unemployment rate or 35 million in December 2021 who were not employed but were actively looking for employment." But the country is far from providing jobs to all.
