Jobless Engineers, MBA Graduates Polish Shoes to Protest Unemployment in MP

Bhopal: A group of engineering and management graduates held a protest against unemployment in Madhya Pradesh by polishing shoes here on Saturday.

The protest was organised by the Berozgar Sena, a volunteer group formed by youths in the state to highlight the plight of joblessness.

Protesters wearing ties around the neck sat at Jyoti Talkies square with polish, asking passersby to get their shoes polished by them.

They hung placards saying “I am unemployed engineer/MBA holder’ around their necks.

Warning state government that they will not vote if they were not given employment, they sought introduction of an educated youth employment guarantee scheme.

Pradip Napit, one of the youths leading the protest claimed that only such a sheme could end unemployment in the state. Sanjay Mishra, an engineering degree holder with 80% marks, claimed that a helpline number (92854-00639) has been setup for jobless youths to be part of the volunteer group.

Akashay Hunka, founder of Berozgar Sena, referring to government figures to claim that unemployment rose by 53% in last couple of years. The number of jobless youths was 15.60 lakh in year 2015, which surged to 23.90 lakh in 2017, he added.

Underlining the lack of jobs in MP, Hunka claimed that 129 employment offices in the state helped only 129 youths find jobs in the year 2016.

Explaining the reason behind joblessness, he said that population grew by 20% in last ten years while the government jobs decreased by 2.5% in the period.

Berozgar Sena, in a communiqué, alleged that state government does not have real figures of unemployment while one lakh government posts are lying vacant.

Due to government apathy, the industrial clusters are in bad shape and GST along with demonetisation has adversely impacted the economy, it said.

The act demanded by the organization has the provision of offering employment to students within three months of completing the degree or offer them unemployment allowance of Rs 9, 360 per month if the state government fails to provide them jobs.

“A signature campaign is underway to seek support in support of the act,” Hunka said, issuing a warning that the Assembly will be gheraoed if the demand is not met.