New Delhi: Moving away from Ram Mandir, religious conversion and other issues, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has admitted for the first time in many years that the country needs to have more employment opportunities.
In a resolution passed on the issue Sunday at the three-day Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha held in Ahmedabad, the RSS has said that India needs to focus on home grown industries to generate more employment and discussed the need to create a ‘Bharatiya economic model’.
“There has been a lot of discussions and debates going on. The young generation is suffering from unemployment and the pandemic has made things even grim. We know some people are unemployable, but Bharat has to have enough opportunities for the rest,” said a senior Sangh functionary.
“We cannot always depend on FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) or foreign support or companies to come to the country and establish their shops to generate employment. Make In India has been a good idea by the Modi government, but it needs to be sharpened even more and get more investment,” he added.
Before the Uttar Pradesh elections, the RSS had done a ground survey to study the level of migration from the rural and semi-urban belt of the state. One point of its focus was Gorakhpur — an area that records high migration to big cities every year.
“It was detailed work and we had submitted it to the Yogi government. We cannot turn a blind eye to unemployment. It is a crisis and it needs to be addressed,” added the senior functionary.
“Bharat, with its abundant natural resources, vast human power and inherent entrepreneurial skills to transform our agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors, has the potential to create ample work opportunities and take the entire economy to greater heights,” the RSS resolution, titled ‘Need to promote work opportunities to make Bharat Self Reliant’, said.
“Society has to chip in to complement the government’s efforts to build an Atmanirbhar Bharat. In the resolution, the Sangh has spoken more about agro-base, local initiatives to promote rural areas and generate employment opportunities,” Ram Madhav, senior member of the RSS executive committee, told ThePrint.
“RSS affiliates, including Swadeshi Jagaran Mancha and others, have been doing it for a long time across states. We need more enterprising individuals,” he added.
“We need to focus on MSMEs. This resolution is not about government policies, but about cumulative efforts of all Indians to sail through the unemployment challenge fuelled by the Covid pandemic,” Madhav further said.
The resolution on employment is seen as the RSS admitting the grave crisis and how it is negatively affecting the new generation.
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‘Bharatiya economic model’
Taking note of the dire impact of the Covid pandemic on employment and livelihood in India, the RSS resolution said, “We have also witnessed opening up of new opportunities, which some sections of the society have taken benefit of. The Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) wishes to emphasise that the entire society has to play a proactive role in harnessing such work opportunities to mitigate the overall employment challenge.”
The RSS in its meeting discussed the need to create a ‘Bharatiya economic model’ through homegrown companies and industries.
“The ABPS is of the opinion that thrust is to be given to a Bharatiya economic model that is human centric, labour intensive, eco-friendly, lays stress on decentralisation and equitable distribution of benefits and augments village economy, micro, small scale and agro based industries,” the resolution said.
The Sangh’s affiliate labour organisation, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, had earlier objected to the government’s idea of bringing in more FDI.
‘Need to boost employment for women’
The RSS resolution has also spoken about the need to boost rural employability and create more employment for women.
“Areas like rural employability, unorganised sector employment, employment to women and their overall participation in the economy need to be boosted. Efforts are essential to adopt new technologies and soft skills appropriate to our societal conditions,” said the resolution.
The resolution takes note of the “many successful models of employment generation based on the above lines” across the country which have taken into account “local specialities, talent and requirements”.
Referring to entrepreneurs, businessmen, micro finance institutions, self-help groups who are working in the cooperative sector, direct local marketing and skill development, thereby encouraging ventures like handicrafts, food processing, home made products and family enterprises, the resolution calls for their replication in other areas of the country.
“Certain educational and industrial institutions have contributed in employment generation in a significant way. The ABPS appreciates all the success stories which have generated sustainable work opportunities…. Efforts to inculcate the spirit of ‘Swadeshi and self reliance’ in society would give the right impetus to the above initiatives,” it added.
The RSS resolution has also taken note about “high foreign imports” and has said that the country should reduce its dependence on them.
It said that the country’s manufacturing sector, which has “high employment potential” needed to be bolstered, thus reducing dependence on imports.
“An environment conducive to encouraging entrepreneurship should be created by educating and counselling people, especially youth, so that they can come out of the mentality of only seeking jobs,” it added.
A similar entrepreneurial spirit needs to be fostered among women, village folk and people from remote and tribal areas, the resolution said.
“Educationists, industry and community leaders, social organisations and other institutions can have effective participation towards this end. For that, it is essential that governmental and other efforts go in tandem with these,” the RSS resolution said.
(Edited by Saikat Niyogi)
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