Editorial 1 : The skill gap
Introduction: Soon after taking charge, Andhra Pradesh’s new Chief Minister, N Chandrababu Naidu, announced a flurry of decisions such as an increase in pensions and revoking the Land Titling Act. Possibly the most noteworthy decision, however, has been the order for a skill census.
Why was a call for Skill census given?
- On the campaign trail, CM Naidu had said that through a skill census, he would gauge the skill levels of people and compare it to the global skill requirements.
- As per CM Naidu the skill census will address the skill shortcoming and make people more employable.
How skill census brought the unemployment problem of Andhra Pradesh in sharp focus?
- While it is well-known that India has been facing considerable unemployment related stress, most of the attention is centred around the so-called BIMARU states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
- But data from the official Period Labour Force Survey for 2022-23 — the last full-year report — shows that Andhra Pradesh is worse-off than many such states.
- For instance, at 4.1 per cent, Andhra Pradesh has a significantly higher unemployment rate (for all aged 15 years and more) than not just the national average (3.2 per cent) but also many states like Bihar (3.9 per cent), UP (2.4 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (1.6 per cent).
- Moreover, the unemployment gets worse when one zeroes in on the youth cohort (15 to 29 years).
- Youth unemployment rate in Andhra was 15.7 per cent — much higher than the national average of 10 per cent as well as states like Bihar (13.9 per cent), UP (7 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (4.4 per cent) and Rajasthan (12.5 per cent).
- Further, data suggests that getting higher education doesn’t seem to help matters.
- At 24 per cent, the unemployment rate among graduates in Andhra Pradesh was higher than Bihar (16.6 per cent), UP (11 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (9.3 per cent) and Rajasthan (23.1 per cent).
What is crisis of unemployability?
- The crisis of unemployability is a situation where a significant portion of the workforce struggles to find jobs, not necessarily due to a lack of open positions, but because they lack the skills or qualifications that employers are seeking.
- It's distinct from traditional unemployment, which focuses on a shortage of available jobs.
India’s crisis of unemployability
- The unemployment crisis in India is not just about unemployment — it is also a crisis of unemployability.
- The 2015 policy of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said: “Our country presently faces a dual challenge of paucity of highly trained workforce, as well as non-employability of large sections of the conventionally educated youth, who possess little or no job skills.”
- The skill census is a step towards addressing, what a 2018 NCAER report calls, “India’s skilling paradox”: Dwindling opportunities in agriculture, much potential for jobs in manufacturing and services, but not enough people with the right skills.
- It will have important takeaways for course correction in the education system as well.
Conclusion: The skill census not only promises to enhance the employability of the workforce but also seeks to fine-tune the educational system to better meet the demands of the job market. As Andhra Pradesh takes this proactive measure, it sets a valuable precedent for other states to follow, potentially transforming the landscape of skill development and employment in India.
Editorial 2 : A fitting frame
Introduction: Congress party’s criticism that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has travelled to the G7 to burnish his international image must be taken as part of the sparring between a newly charged-up Opposition and the government that has come back with a reduced majority.
All global summits are photo-ops, G7 no different
- All global summits are photo-ops for national leaders everywhere to display their global reach to domestic audiences.
- The leaders of the seven western nations and invited special guests from across the world for the outreach session showed up in picturesque eastern Italy after all the arduous work, including the drafting of final statements, was done by their diplomats.
- All they needed to do was to look good and shake hands with other leaders.
PM Modi looked tall among the democracies of G7 nations (except Italy)
- Winning a third term as prime minister was more than enough to raise his prestige among his peers in the West and beyond.
- At the summit, PM Modi looked tall given the precarious situation the G7 leaders find themselves in.
- In the US, President Joe Biden is struggling to fend off the challenge from Donald Trump who might well win the presidential election in November.
- In Canada, Justin Trudeau has become unpopular and will be lucky to win another term.
- Across the Atlantic, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is all set to lead the Tories to a defeat in the general election set for July 4.
- On the continent, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Olaf Scholz are being battered by a resurgent political right.
- In Japan, PM Fumio Kishida has poor ratings and is coping with the fallout from corruption scandals involving party colleagues.
- The only exception is Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, who is emerging as a powerful new voice in Europe.
- Unsparing western commentators have compared the G7 leadership crew at Italy to “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and dubbed it as “Meloni and the six lame ducks”.
Any criticism of India’s presence at G7 misses the ground reality
Decline of West
- India’s internal arguments about its presence at the G7 summit betray a certain ignorance about the shifting political landscape in North America and Europe and a lack of awareness of India’s growing salience for the G7.
- American and European analysts point to the growing weaknesses of the West and its internal divisions and critics bemoan the fecklessness of its current leadership.
Rise of rest and India
- Meanwhile, India’s position in relation to the West is rising thanks to its economic growth and its geopolitical role as a “swing state”.
- Next year, India’s aggregate GDP is expected to overtake Japan’s and, a couple of years later, Germany’s.
- That would put the size of India’s economy ahead of all G7 countries except the US.
India will be the friend needed by West to counter China
- The deepening geopolitical tensions with Beijing, the imperatives of restructuring the global economic order to reduce dependence on China, and the need for the US and Europe to reconnect with the Global South have all created the conditions for a new strategic compact between India and the West.
- The challenge for the political class and the policy establishment in Delhi is to reflect on the contours of such a compact and the strategies for leveraging it to generate greater prosperity for the Indian people.
Conclusion: The criticism of India's involvement in the G7 overlooks the reality of the West's decline and India's rising importance. With its rapidly growing economy and strategic position, India is poised to play a crucial role in countering China's dominance and reshaping the global economic order. This evolving relationship between India and the West presents an opportunity for India to leverage its position for greater national prosperity and influence on the world stage.