Elections will be held in Uttarakhand in February-March 2022 along with four others namely Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur and Goa. India Today TV’s Election Roadie team traveled to Uttarakhand to meet young hill voters, barely two months before the assembly elections. There is a general understanding among the young Pahari voters that the promises made to them in the last election have not been fulfilled.
Ambition
The young hill voters who met the election roadie team have aspirations for a better and financially secure future. They dream of a future where the hills of Uttarakhand provide them with ample opportunities to slow down the train of migration.
Migration to the hills of Uttarakhand has been a serious economic and demographic issue. The youth of Polytechnic College, Barkot, Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand district, which heavily depends on pilgrimage tourism, highlighted the need for quality education so that they get the skills to meet the global competition.
“Many people in my village have worked hard to get employment but most of them are unemployed. There is huge unemployment in the state. There are hardly any vacancies for government jobs,” said Manish, a polytechnic college student.
Manish said, ‘We are educated but there is no employment, there is no employment. The work we do has too little income to meet our needs.”
Many young voters like Manish were not eligible to vote in the 2017 Uttarakhand assembly elections. They are looking forward to vote in the 2022 Uttarakhand assembly election.
adversity of bravery
The question of livelihood for young voters comes later, with the primary challenge being to get employable education. Many of them also complained about the lack of proper roads to reach schools and colleges and access to higher education. Steep hills, dense forests and harsh weather conditions do not work to their advantage. However, most of his complaints centered around employment opportunities.
Young voter Gagan Bisht said, ‘I am preparing to get a job in Uttarakhand Police since 2013. There is no vacancy in the state. Many other people are also preparing for it. But if there is no vacancy, where do we go.”
Ashish, another polytechnic student, said that he wants to be an entrepreneur and have other employees like him. “However, the opportunities are few in the hills,” he said.
Susan said, “There are no vacancies in the hills. There are few sources of income or employment. That’s what’s forcing them.” [youth] migrate to the plains. The youth of Uttarkashi are worried about their future.
“If there are better resources and better employment opportunities in the hills, the youth will never leave the mountains and migrate.”
“Politicians have made big promises in all elections but no one cared about Pahari,” said Deepak, who has done an electrical course at the Polytechnic College.
What do young women think?
Survival and challenges are more worrying and worrying for young hill women. He said that they do not fight against geographical adversities and lack of career opportunities, they struggle to get the necessary help from their families. He described access to quality education as his biggest issue in the upcoming elections.
Poonam Muniyal, a polytechnic student from Uttarkashi, said, “Even after a lot of difficulties, even if we get education and qualifications, there is no opportunity to move forward and make a better career.”
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Another young voter Mansi said, “If somehow the parents support our dreams and send us to school and college, then after sometime when there is no better opportunity, they will also on our decision to go to college. raise questions.”
“The lack of connectivity and educational institutions in the hills deprives many girls of better education,” Mansi said.
Jyoti, another polytechnic student, said, “In this assembly election, better education and employment is the biggest issue for all of them. They want the new government to pay more attention to the youth and their issues.
soldiers’ land
Uttarakhand is also known for producing soldiers. There are many districts and villages across the state where almost every family has a soldier in their home who has been serving on the borders of India, even for generations.
Practically speaking, the army and paramilitary forces are one of the biggest employment providers in Uttarakhand, especially in the hills. Former Army Jawan Rajesh Semwal in Uttarkashi is now helping young boys and girls fulfill their dream of joining the Armed Forces.
Semwal provides them with the necessary physical, mental and educational training to join the armed forces. He does this for free.
After spending more than a decade in the military, Semwal said, “I wanted to help my little Pahadi kids after retirement, even though it added a financial burden to me.”
young women as soldiers
The young girls enrolled in the fitness training camp run by Semwal are usually from poor and economically weaker families. Some of them live in the very remote parts of Uttarkashi.
Preeti, a young trainee preparing to join the army, said, “My village is in a very remote area. There is no facility of higher education. We have to cross forests and hills to reach the main road for proper connectivity.”
Preeti said she is grateful to “Commander Rajesh” who trained her and made her physically and mentally strong.
Bhavani, another trainee, said she comes from a poor farming family and is dependent on the help provided by Semwal.
Chunnu, 20, said, “Life is very difficult for girls in the hills. Families sometimes support their girls by encouraging them to pursue their dreams, but others in villages often intervene, telling parents not to send their girls to distant places. ,
Chunnu said she wanted to be an army officer, but “not many people in the hills get the opportunity”.
‘No private sector’
Some of the election roadie teams that met in Uttarakhand pointed to the weak presence of the private sector in job creation in the state. He said that lack of jobs in the private sector has forced educated youth to appear for recruitment examinations conducted by government agencies and armed forces.
Read also | Ahead of the elections, the exodus of hill people in Uttarakhand remains a topic of discussion
Bharat Kumar, who lives in the upper reaches of Uttarkashi, said, “The local school is located at a distance of about five kilometers from our village. we walk to school. Police recruitment is our option after school education. We are waiting for vacancies in Police Department since 2013. Many of our brothers have crossed the upper limit of age eligibility while waiting for vacancies.”
Another young aspirant, Abhishek Rawat said, “Many educated youths turned to agriculture without getting better opportunities. Farming is not profitable here. ,
Whom to blame?
Happy Chauhan said, ‘The youth in the hilly areas have not got proper guidance. If we find that, it will help us to grow and find suitable opportunities. ,
“During elections, politicians come to us making all kinds of promises but they don’t really do anything about the youth. The government should focus more on the youth and generate employment,” said Ramesh Uniyal, a resident of Uttarkashi.
“If the politicians don’t think of us, we will boycott the election instead of voting for them at the polling booth,” Ramesh said.
there is some hope
When there is a will, there is a way, the old saying goes. Some youth have become self-reliant and become inspiration at the local level by getting employment in the tourism sector. Religious tourism and adventure sports have emerged as job creators in a new way.
Pankaj and Ram, two youths from Uttarkashi district, learned mountaineering and other adventure sports skills. The Election Roadie team met him at Yamunotri.
Ram said, “These skills made them self-reliant. But the opportunities are not equal for everyone. The youth get employment during the pilgrimage season, especially during the Char Dham Yatra. But the Covid-19 pandemic has hit them badly. “
“If the pilgrimage goes smoothly, they earn enough to last for two years. But it has been badly hit by the pandemic, and is affecting livelihoods,” said Dilip Uniyal.
Youth voter Mukesh Suyal said, “Apart from employment, education is a big issue for the youth living in the hills. They have to travel 10 km to reach the high school and for higher education they have to go to the plains of Dehradun.
Rising unemployment and demand for quality education are major election issues for the youth of the hills of Uttarakhand. They are waiting to see that the government is taking steps to bring in private investment and clear the backlog vacancies to meet their aspirations.