Unemployment is a big issue in the state. White-collar jobs are few, and private employers from outside the state don’t prefer Goans. Hence, the youth prefer government jobs. Otherwise, they go to foreign shores or other parts of the state.
Are there no opportunities for the locals in the state? Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said there are many opportunities for Goans in various sectors, especially tourism, and urged the youth to make the best of these by becoming entrepreneurs. He was speaking on the job opportunities available in the state after unveiling details of the newly notified Mukhyamantri Swayam Rojgar Yojana (MSRY) scheme, which has been designed to create a suitable entrepreneurial ecosystem in the state. The focus of the scheme is on a faculty mentor development programme that will see college professors and teachers trained at the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad, to provide mentorship to students who want to start businesses. The MSRY scheme is being implemented in the state by the Economic Development Corporation (EDC), which will provide the funding support to students to become entrepreneurs through the Chief Minister’s Rozgar Yojana (CMRY) scheme. EDC will provide the institutional support for the scheme to take off. Post-training, handholding support will be provided to the trained faculty to act as local champions by mentoring students and giving ideation activities. Advanced refresher training will also be provided periodically to the faculty. Sawant said that, earlier, Goans were entrepreneurs but have since gone into the service sector. “Entrepreneurship is in the Goans’ DNA. Traditionally, Goans have always undertaken some business or the other. However, the trend changed in later years, making the state highly dependent on services coming from outside,” he said.
Many Goans don’t want to take the risk of venturing into business even though they have lots of money. Lack of guidance is one factor that is discouraging the Goan youth from starting businesses. The Chief Minister said that even engineering graduates do not think of becoming entrepreneurs. “There are so many business opportunities for youth in tourism, services, and manufacturing, as well as in the medical field. Lately, a few Goan youth have been entering the MSME sector,” he said. EDC has been implementing the CMRY scheme for a long time, and several hundred youth have benefited from it. Many are now standing on their own feet. The cash-for-jobs scam has revealed how much money a Goan is willing to pay for a government job. The scam also accentuates the perception that one can hardly get a job on merit and that the candidate needs political support. Some youngsters work for politicians only with the aim of getting a government job. A secured future is a reason why people take up government jobs.
The Chief Minister is right in pushing for self-employment. A huge workforce from outside the state comes to the state to work, which is available in plenty for them. Within a short time, they become financially stable and bring their relatives and friends here. There are certain jobs the local youth are not skilled in and will not be able to take up. However, there are many opportunities they can tap and get government support through funding and training too. The opportunities are being grabbed by non-Goans. Entrepreneurship has to be pushed not only by the government but also by community leaders, elected representatives, social organisations and others. Encouraging entrepreneurship involves creating a mindset. To catch them young, schools could have entrepreneurship lessons to give exposure at a young age. Today, the education system is creating only employees. They need to create employers too.
