Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Waiting for jobs: On Centre’s plan to recruit 10 lakh personnel in 18 months

Waiting for jobs: On Centre’s plan to recruit 10 lakh personnel in 18 months

The Centre’s decision to recruit personnel (कार्मिक, श्रम बल, कर्मचारी) to fill vacancies is a nod to the festering unemployment issue

For a nation that has had a significant demographic dividend (जनसांख्यिकीय विभाजन) — the working age population is much larger than the non-working age sections (खंड, अनुभाग) — finding productive employment for its youth was to be an imperative (अनिवार्य, आवश्यक शर्त, पूर्व शर्त) for India. Yet, in the last few years, unemployment has remained a major concern (चिंता, बेचैनी, महत्व की बात) — the leaked Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) (आवधिक श्रम बल सर्वेक्षण) in 2018 revealed that India’s unemployment rate was the highest (6.07%) in four decades (दशक, दस साल का समय।). The latest PLFS suggests that the numbers now are not so drastic (भीषण, अत्यधिक, गंभीर, पर्याप्त), with the overall unemployment rate at 4.2% in 2020-21 compared to 4.8% in 2019-20 and the labour force participation rate (LFPR) (श्रम बल भागीदारी दर) increasing to 41.6%, up from 40.1% in 2019-20. In terms of (के अनुसार, के संबंध में) the more widely used statistic (आँकड़ा, सांख्यिकीय) internationally, the current weekly status of unemployment, the figure of 7.5% for all persons in 2020-21 is still worrying (चिंताजनक, परेशान करने वाला). But, the PLFS data will not bring much cheer (खुश करना, आनन्द, प्रसन्नता) to the Government despite a decrease in unemployment, according to official data. This is because the decrease, says the PLFS, has also coincided (मेल खाना, सहमत होना) with the transfer of employment into lower productive and unpaid jobs away from salaried employment. Worryingly (disturbingly, concerningly, disconcertingly, alarmingly), industrial jobs have decreased with more employment in agricultural and farm-related jobs — a trend (tendency) that accelerated (increase, rise, surge, escalate, spiral) following the lockdown (an emergency protocol implemented by the authorities that prevents people from leaving from a place; An extended state of confinement/encirclement/isolation of a person by the authority) and has not reversed (उलटना, रद्द करना) since then. Unemployment rates among the educated (above secondary education — 9.1%) and the youth (age between 15-29 — 12.9%) have only declined marginally (slightly, somewhat, to some degree).

Wage (pay, payment (paid on daily/weekly basis to unskilled/unorganized worker); revenue, income, salary) rates have continued to remain lower for those employed in either salaried jobs or self-employed compared to the pre-pandemic (before the pandemic) period, with the increases being marginal (slight, small, minimal, insignificant, negligible) in the year following lockdown (an emergency protocol implemented by the authorities that prevents people from leaving from a place; An extended state of confinement/encirclement/isolation of a person by the authority)-driven days of the pandemic. It is clear that the Government must tackle unemployment and, concomitantly (simultaneously, accordingly, at the same time), the quality of employment issue, on a war footing (a state of preparedness (for war)). In this regard (in connection with the aspect/consideration/point referred to earlier), Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement that the Government will be recruiting 10 lakh personnel within the next 18 months (vacancies in the Railways, the armed forces (army, troops, forces, services, soldiers, soldiery) and GST departments among others) should be seen as a step in the right direction (an action/activity/measure taken that increases someone’s chance or possibility of success). The latest data showed that there were 8.86 lakh vacant jobs among all central government civilian (non-military person, ordinary citizen) posts as of March 2020. Mr. Modi’s announcement was not about the creation of a large chunk of (a significant amount of) new jobs; the bulk (most, larger part, larger number) of the promised (pledged, vowed, guaranteed, assured) employment is to fill up vacancies. But even this measure (action, act, course of action, deed, procedure, step) would be ameliorative (beneficial, restorative, corrective, enhanced, reformed, revamped/improved) in the real economy that continues to remain distressed (troubled, crushed, shattered, suffering; disadvantaged, impoverished), a consequence (result, upshot, outcome, effect, repercussion, reverberations, ramification) of the BJP-led government’s mismanagement and the effects of the pandemic in the last few years. The country cannot afford (if you cannot afford to do something, you must prevent it from happening because it would be embarrassing and cause problems (if it happens)) to squander (waste, misspend, misuse, throw away, dissipate, fritter away, run through, lose, lavish, spend recklessly/unwisely) more years in its race to reap (receive, obtain, get, acquire, secure, bring in) the benefits of its demographic dividend, and the push (drive, thrust, campaign) to provide jobs for those seeking (try, aim, attempt) to enter the labour force, even if (despite the fact that) belated (late, behind time, not on time/delayed), will help ease (relieve, alleviate, mitigate, assuage, allay, soothe, moderate) matters for the medium term (for a period of time of moderate length).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.personnel (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कार्मिक, श्रम बल, कर्मचारी
English Meaning - labour force, force, staff, employees, workforce.

2.demographic dividend (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जनसांख्यिकीय विभाजन
English Meaning - it is defined as a boost in economic productivity that occurs when there are growing numbers of people in the workforce relative to the number of dependents (or) it is the accelerated development that can arise when a population has a relatively large proportion of working-age people coupled with effective human capital investment.

3.section (noun)

Hindi Meaning - खंड, अनुभाग
English Meaning - a separate group within a larger body of people.

4.imperative (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अनिवार्य, आवश्यक शर्त, पूर्व शर्त
English Meaning - necessary condition, precondition, condition, essential requirement.

5.concern (noun)

Hindi Meaning - चिंता, बेचैनी, महत्व की बात
English Meaning - anxiety, worry, disquiet; a matter of importance.

6.Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आवधिक श्रम बल सर्वेक्षण
English Meaning - National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) had been conducting surveys on employment and unemployment on quinquennial (five-yearly) basis. However, considering the need for availability of such statistics at more frequent intervals, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has launched a regular employment-unemployment survey, namely, ‘Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)’. The PLFS has been launched from April, 2017 with the objective to provide quarterly changes of various indicators of the labour market for urban areas and the annual estimates of different labour force indicators for both rural and urban areas, at State/UT and all India level.

7.decade (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दशक, दस साल का समय।
English Meaning - a period of ten years.

8.drastic (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - भीषण, अत्यधिक, गंभीर, पर्याप्त
English Meaning - extreme, excessive, serious, substantial.

9.labour force participation rate (LFPR) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - श्रम बल भागीदारी दर
English Meaning - The labour force participation rate (LFPR) shows the number of people seeking work or working, expressed as a percentage of the total population.

10.in terms of (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - के अनुसार, के संबंध में
English Meaning - with regard to, regarding, concerning, in respect of, with reference to, in connection with.

11.statistic (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आँकड़ा, सांख्यिकीय
English Meaning - (statistical) data.

12.worrying (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - चिंताजनक, परेशान करने वाला
English Meaning - disturbing, concerning, upsetting, disconcerting, alarming.

13.cheer (noun)

Hindi Meaning - खुश करना, आनन्द, प्रसन्नता
English Meaning - happiness, joy, jubilation, exultation, euphoria.

14.coincide (verb)

Hindi Meaning - मेल खाना, सहमत होना
English Meaning - tally, correspond, agree, concur, match; be in agreement, be consistent, be the same as.

15.reverse (verb)

Hindi Meaning - उलटना, रद्द करना
English Meaning - change, alter, undo.

16.wait (for) (verb)

English Meaning - await, anticipate, expect, long for, hope for.

17.nod (noun)

English Meaning - indication, signal, sign (of approval).

18.fester (verb)

English Meaning - (of a problem) to become worse or more intense due to long time negligence.

19.festering (adjective)

English Meaning - simmering, fuming, smouldering, brewing; become worse/intense.

20.unproductive (adjective)

English Meaning - futile, useless, pointless, ineffective.

21.worryingly (adverb)

English Meaning - disturbingly, concerningly, disconcertingly, alarmingly.

22.trend (noun)

English Meaning - tendency.

23.for the medium term (phrase)

English Meaning - for a period of time of moderate length.

24.accelerate (verb)

English Meaning - increase, rise, surge, escalate, spiral.

25.lockdown (noun)

English Meaning - an emergency protocol implemented by the authorities that prevents people from leaving from a place; An extended state of confinement/encirclement/isolation of a person by the authority.

26.marginally (adverb)

English Meaning - slightly, somewhat, to some degree.

27.wage (noun)

English Meaning - pay, payment (paid on daily/weekly basis to unskilled/unorganized worker); revenue, income, salary.

28.pre-pandemic (noun)

English Meaning - before the pandemic.

29.marginal (adjective)

English Meaning - slight, small, minimal, insignificant, negligible.

30.lockdown-driven (adjective)

English Meaning - caused by the lockdown.

31.pandemic (noun)

English Meaning - the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.

32.concomitantly (adverb)

English Meaning - simultaneously, accordingly, at the same time.

33.war footing (noun)

English Meaning - a state of preparedness (for war).

34.on a war footing (phrase)

English Meaning - very soon, very immediately; as soon as possible, as quickly as possible.

35.in this regard (phrase)

English Meaning - in connection with the aspect/consideration/point referred to earlier.

36.armed forces (noun)

English Meaning - army, troops, forces, services, soldiers, soldiery.

37.a step in the right direction (phrase)

English Meaning - an action/activity/measure taken that increases someone’s chance or possibility of success.

38.civilian (noun)

English Meaning - non-military person, ordinary citizen.

39.chunk of (noun)

English Meaning - a significant amount of.

40.bulk (of) (noun)

English Meaning - most, larger part, larger number.

41.promised (adjective)

English Meaning - pledged, vowed, guaranteed, assured.

42.measure (noun)

English Meaning - action, act, course of action, deed, procedure, step.

43.ameliorative (adjective)

English Meaning - beneficial, restorative, corrective, enhanced, reformed, revamped/improved.

44.distressed (adjective)

English Meaning - troubled, crushed, shattered, suffering; disadvantaged, impoverished.

45.consequence (noun)

English Meaning - result, upshot, outcome, effect, repercussion, reverberations, ramification.

46.mismanagement (noun)

English Meaning - mishandling/misconducting.

47.cannot afford/can ill afford (phrase)

English Meaning - if you cannot afford to do something, you must prevent it from happening because it would be embarrassing and cause problems (if it happens).

48.squander (verb)

English Meaning - waste, misspend, misuse, throw away, dissipate, fritter away, run through, lose, lavish, spend recklessly/unwisely.

49.race (noun)

English Meaning - contention, contest, competition.

50.reap (verb)

English Meaning - receive, obtain, get, acquire, secure, bring in.

51.push (noun)

English Meaning - drive, thrust, campaign.

52.seek (verb)

English Meaning - try, aim, attempt.

53.even if (phrase)

English Meaning - despite the fact that.