The Bhutanese Leading the way.
DPT and PDP can both address the issue of employment in a more realistic way by exploring the opportunities abroad & within the country. They can look for ways to enhance new ideas and scope of skills training that can be in demand even aboard.
These are some of the strategies that the parties can consider in creating more jobs for the youth.Additional job opportunities can also be created by establishing new companies and enhancing foreign direct investments in the market.
The plans and policy must take the present scenarios in account. It’s a fact that Bhutan employs a substantial number of Indian labours to work on the construction sites. It’s high time that Bhutanese workers replace the Indian workers. There is a need to equip our own people with proper vocational training, and provide better incentives like, monthly PF and pensions schemes in the sector.
There is also a need to devise a way make the youth choose the vocational training centre in the country as a way to gain a viable career. They should be able to earn a dignified living and gain a purpose of life, which in a way, leads to happiness.
The quality of education must be kept as the top priority so that the student can compete in any field and their skills will be in demand globally. There is also the need to explore new ideas, such as providing a mechanized farm tool and hiring services to the villagers, similar to the services rendered by AMC, Paro, during the busy farming periods. This will make up for less farm hands and ensure the fields are cultivated. Such a scheme placed in all the gewogs will help increase in food self-sufficiency as well.
Both the parties can take practical approach to serve the people. The government must channel the youth to become productive members of society. The party that forms the government must allocate the budget to find the means to take care of the unemployment issue.
There also needs to mobility in the career scope for youth, by strictly imposing an age limit for the civil servants so the senior ranked officials still occupying seats even after being retired and placed on a good monthly pension doesn’t stagnant growth. Some department need downgraded to a club like association too.
The official vehicles like a Prado should be used strictly for official trips. Such care will prolong its use for at least for ten years, and it can be used for two consecutive government periods. Such steps will prevent corruption.
Right job for the right people with right training must be exercised so that money that’s spent is used judiciously.
Strict vigilance must be introduced at the gewog level to oversee the funds and pool vehicle if any.
There is every need now, with the Indian Rupee crisis, that we avoid the huge escalations in cost during construction. There has to be proper evaluation done before awarding the project works like the hydropower projects.
By Tshering, Thimphu
