His acquaintance, Mahesh Madatala, another regular visitor at the library, who completed his MCA degree last year, says he is preparing to apply for central government jobs after “losing all hopes of finding a good private or government job in the state”.
Kumar (22), studying Biochemistry at the Acharya Nagarjuna University — a prominent state university with a vast campus located between Vijayawada and Guntur — feels the incumbent Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government has failed to bring industries and investments to the state to satiate the demand for jobs.
A first-time voter from Bobbili in Uttarandhra region, Kumar says, “The CM thinks the employment of 2.5 lakh village/ward volunteers is an achievement. They get an honorarium of Rs 5,000 a month and assist village level officials. Are these good job opportunities?”
His friend, Anil Bunga, an MSc Biotechnology student, bristles at the mention of CM Jagan’s “welfare-centric” governance model, especially the YSR Pension Kanuka scheme.
“Let the government provide a proper job or facilitate an opportunity in the private sector, something with a salary that matches our qualifications so that we can take good care of our families without having to depend on state handouts,” says Bunga, whose family in Razole town in Konaseema region avails the state government’s old age pension of Rs 3,000 per month, and the annual Rs 18,000 financial aid for women.
At the Yogi Vemana University, located around 15 kilometres from Kadapa on the way to Chief Minister Jagan Reddy’s constituency Pulivendula, Naresh, an MBA student, says that job opportunities have diminished in Jagan’s regime. He is a voter in Banaganapalle in the neighbouring district of Nandyala.
Sohail Shaikh (28), on a short break from work at an IT firm in Mumbai, is sipping cold coffee at a café on an excruciatingly hot day. He would prefer to work in his hometown or somewhere nearby. “But where are the opportunities?” he asks. He adds that former chief minister and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu has a better vision and approach in terms of attracting industries and thereby jobs.
His friend, Narasimha Karnati (26), who has a Master’s degree in English, is among lakhs of youth in Andhra Pradesh, aspiring for government jobs, looking to bring financial stability to their middle-class families. Karnati is hopeful of landing a Group-4 Junior Assistant position in the state government.
Andhra Pradesh goes to polls for Lok Sabha and the state assembly simultaneously on 13 May.
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What the YSRCP manifesto says
There is a sense of despair at the state regional library in Guntur, where several government job aspirants sit beneath the crumbling ceiling of the reading room, immersed in their books.
Rajasekhar N (28), a Dalit voter from CM Jagan’s Scheduled Castes vote bank from Guntur (East), has qualified the preliminary level of the Group 2 exam held in February and is preparing for the mains in July. Over four lakh aspirants had appeared for the prelims.
Though he is appreciative of Jagan on the social welfare front, Rajasekhar says the YSRCP CM has done little for the educated youth and job aspirants. “Where is the annual job calendar promised to be released on 1 January every year?” he asks.
The YSRCP’s 2019 manifesto had assured a job calendar for recruitments, along with the promise of filling 2.3 lakh vacancies in government departments.
“We will bring in a revolution in the area of employment by achieving Special Category Status (SCS) for AP,” the manifesto had said. Jagan’s sister and Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee chief, YS Sharmila, says in her election campaign that the CM has failed to pursue the demand for SCS with the Narendra Modi government.
Under the column ‘youth-employment’ in the 2019 manifesto, one seemingly fulfilled promise by YSRCP is the recruitment of the 1.4 lakh grama/ward Sachivalayam staff and the enlisting of 2.5 lakh volunteers to assist the staff in local governance.
“Many young people are suffering after voting on the basis of these promises,” says Rajesh Bontha, another Dalit voter, who gave up a private job and is preparing for the Group-2 exam and other government competitive exams.
The state now has an active association called the Andhra Pradesh Unemployed Joint Action Committee (JAC).
The JAC expressed dismay Sunday over the YSRCP 2024 manifesto released by Jagan the previous day, which, it said, lacked the assurances of specific recruitment exams, like District Selection Committee (DSC), and extension of age limit, etc.
The manifesto, this time, says that notifications for competitive exams, like Group 1 and Group 2, will be announced on a regular basis, and the exams will be conducted according to a schedule similar to that of the Civil Services Examination.
Reiterating his 2020 initiative, CM Jagan, in the new manifesto, said that a state-of-the-art skill university in Tirupati, skill colleges in 26 districts and integrated skill hubs in 175 constituencies will be established “to train our youth to be job-ready”.
A paid internship of Rs 2,500 for boys and Rs 3,000 for girls has been promised, while they undergo skill training courses in these institutions.
“Naidu was defeated by the youth as he failed on his promise of Intiko-udhyogam (a job for every household). We rejected his Rs 2,000 monthly unemployed allowance and voted for Jagan trusting his manifesto. But what have we got in return?” asks Samayam Hemanth Kumar, the JAC president.
In the last five years of the YSRCP regime, according to the JAC, two notifications were given for Group-1 (the highest government positions like deputy SPs, deputy collectors, recruited by the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission) “for under 200 posts”, and one for Group-2. A notification for filling 6,100 school teacher positions came in February, but was put on hold due to elections. The results of constable recruitment exams have also been withheld due to legal challenges.
Student bodies held protests, while Sharmila accused her elder brother of reneging on his promise of a “mega DSC” to fill 23,000 teacher jobs.
“The youth’s anger trounced K Chandrasekhar Rao in Telangana. Hope Jagan revisits his manifesto in order to avoid such a fate,” says Samayam (42), a Ph.D. candidate at Andhra University, Visakhapatnam.
Lack of job notifications over 10 years and various competitive exam paper leaks had enraged the younger people in Telangana.
“Thankfully, there are no such scams here. But where are the job recruitment exams for such leaks to take place?” he remarks.
The JAC leader says the CM could not establish district-wise industries too, which would have brought some recruitment opportunities.
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TDP revives ‘Job ravalante Babu ravali’
Accusing the Jagan government of driving away investors like Lulu, AmaraRaja, Jockey, the TDP cites a Periodic Labour Force Survey of the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, saying that the unemployment rate among the graduates in the country is highest in the state at 24 percent.
“Jagan has wrecked the lives of graduates. Even the higher education sector in AP is in shambles, as the YSRCP government does not release funds for college fee reimbursement on time. Government colleges are dilapidated and lack amenities. Aided colleges are being closed, while skill development is killed and so on,” TDP spokesperson Professor Jyotsna Tirunagari said, adding that corruption is also devastating the sector.
Sensing the resentment among the youth, TDP has revived its old slogan — “Job Ravalante Babu Ravali” (Jobs will come when Chandrababu comes to power).
While the JAC accuses Naidu of having failed on his ‘job for every household’ plan, the former CM is now promising employment opportunities for 20 lakh youth and a Rs 3,000 per month unemployment allowance.
Accusing Jagan of doing nothing for the unemployed, Naidu, in his campaign speeches last week in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram, claimed that IT and job recruitments are his brand, while “Ganja (marijuana)-drugs are Jagan’s”. The reference is to the frequently reported incidents of drug abuse in the state.
The YSRCP, on the other hand, is accusing Naidu of “trying to deceive the youth, yet again, with his bogus promises.”
“Only 31,000 jobs were given during TDP’s regime. We provided 4.35 lakh jobs in the government sector, including the 1.5 lakh secretariat staff and 2.5 lakh volunteers. Jagan brought in several industries like Apache, Foxlink, Aditya Birla, which aided employment. Our CM’s vision of port-based growth and support to sectors, like solar and bulk drugs, will result in lakhs of jobs in the coming years,” says Kanumuri Ravichandra Reddy, YSRCP national spokesperson.
Meanwhile, Gummanur Jayaram, the labour and employment minister was sacked by CM Jagan in March after he joined the rival TDP. The minister was earlier denied a ticket to contest in the elections.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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