Aizawl: Lalremruata Renthlei, Congress media chairman, spoke on the alleged unemployment crisis on Friday, despite promises made by the Mizo National Front (MNF) before the 2018 elections to ensure jobs for the youth.
The party had pledged to create jobs and address the issue of youth unemployment in Mizoram. However, recent statistics and allegations of nepotism within the government have raised serious concerns, he said.
Before the 2018 elections, the MNF had discussed employment opportunities for the youth and facilitating job seekers through Employment Exchanges. They also announced special provisions for reservations in the Mizoram Public Service Commission.
However, Renthlei stated in an interaction with the media that Mizoram currently has only four State Employment Exchange centers, located in Aizawl, Lunglei, Siaha, and Champhai. These centers are struggling to cope with the increasing number of job seekers, with the number of live registrations (LR) of job seekers surging to over 40,000, creating an alarming situation.
Renthlei also presented data on the breakdown of registered job seekers in Mizoram according to Employment Exchange Statistics for 2023. It showed that there were 10,600 job seekers up to 19 years old, 20,800 job seekers aged 20-29, 8,400 job seekers aged 30 to 39, and 900 job seekers aged 40-49. It’s important to note that the actual number of job seekers in the state is likely much higher than these statistics suggest.
The data also highlights a significant disparity in employment, with Aizawl district having the highest unemployment rate at 29%. Kolasib and Mamit districts are not far behind, with rates close to or above 20%. Moreover, unemployment rates are substantially higher for females, standing at 34% in the state as a whole and exceeding 40% in Aizawl and Lawngtlai districts, presenting an alarming situation, he said.
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Furthermore, the MPCC media chairman said that MNF’s claims of job creation have come under scrutiny. Deputy Chief Minister Tawnluia claimed that they created 7,983 jobs in the last five years. However, a closer look reveals that out of these, 4,437 were merely promotions, and 1,304 were filled through Limited Departmental Exams. Only 2,218 direct recruitments took place during this MNF Government, leaving many vacancies unaddressed, particularly in crucial sectors such as the Mizoram Police Department, which currently has 4,194 vacant positions, he added.
Renthlei commented on alleged nepotism within the MNF government, saying that the relatives of the Assembly Speaker and other officials of the Assembly Secretariat were preferentially selected in the latest recruitment of Committee Officers, Assistants, and Upper Division Clerks in the State Assembly. Additionally, under the State Education Department Project (SEDP), 771 temporary teachers were recruited, with a majority seemingly belonging to MNF-affiliated families. These recruitments bypassed standard procedures, including the absence of advertisements and interviews, raising concerns over transparency and fairness, he said.
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