Unemployment guaranteed Growing unemployment draws youth towards belt forces’

Unemployment guaranteed

Growing unemployment draws youth towards belt forces’

Irfan Quraishi

Srinagar, Nov 29: Growing unemployment has been a serious challenge for the successive governments in the state over past years. Jobless youth in the state leave no stone unturned in applying for the jobs.

In early 1990’s the youth would hesitate to join the belt force- Army and police but over past few years youth in large numbers are applying for jobs in belt force. In recent past, hundreds of youth from different parts of the valley went through physical tests at airport road Humhama Srinagar to join the border security force (BSF).

Hundreds of youth have joined Army, BSF and police in the past years. Besides trying hard for jobs in government departments, youth are showing overwhelming interest in belt force. Hundreds of youth queued up for trying their luck in BSF at Humhama and these included the graduate students’ also.

The response to the rallies has been unprecedented from the youth of the valley despite current unrest. Hundreds of youth were witnessed standing in long queue at Humhama airport road.

“Hundreds of youth turned out to test their luck for jobs during the current phase of recruitment and the response for the recruitment in defence has been overwhelming. Even the wave of unrest has not affected the response of youth”, said an army official, adding “We are looking for the well built youth especially from these far off and remote areas, which are badly hit due to the militancy. That is why we chose district wise venue for the recruitment rally”.

In the past too, there has been great enthusiasm seen amongst the youth in Indian army and educated jobless candidates from remotest areas from different parts of valley have come forward to join the force.

“Earlier youth used to travel to Srinagar or Jammu to take part in the recruitment rallies but now army has decided to reach to their door steps to persuade them join belt force and for that Army especially held recruitments in different parts of valley,” said an Army official.

Talking to this reporter youth said that ever-growing unemployment scenario has forced youth to join belt force. Belt force has become one of the largely sought after jobs in the valley.

“My parents are eager to see me as a soldier to serve the nation and I want to travel and see the entire India and like to live an adventurous life, it is the army which has all these facilities. Also army offers good salary,” said Zubair Ahmad a candidate who had come all the way from Qazigund to take part in the recruitment rally.

To avoid any ambiguity and keep the high level of transparency in the documentation process of the recruitment drive BSF authorities used the technique of biometric scanning.

“It was first used in a recruitment rally at Jammu on trial basis and now from here we have used this technique on full time basis. The technique involves relating of thumb impressions and photographs with each other. It easily recognizes the thumb impression of the person and relates it to the photograph,” an army officer told The Newspoint.

It can be also viewed that obviously the inclusion of youth in army or other defence agencies would demoralize the militants and attract the more youth towards army.

Many youth said, “We have left with no option other than to join BSF, CRPF, and Army or police because Kashmir is badly hit by unemployment. No other department is advertising any vacancies’. I am post graduate in Science but after waiting for years to get the job, I finally sacrificed and decided to apply in BSF”, said Reyaz Ahmed of Srinagar.