Employment falls first time by 9 million in 6 years: Study
A NEW academic paper — written by Santosh Mehrotra and Jajati K Parida and published by the Centre of Sustainable Employment at the Azim Premji University on Thursday — has formally concluded that the total employment in India declined between 2011-12 and 2017-18.
This is the first time such a decline has been recorded in independent India’s history. While this point has been made by the same authors as well as some others, such as Himanshu of Jawaharlal Nehru University, this is the first formal paper to this effect. According to Mehrotra and Parida, the “total employment during 2011-12 and 2017-18 declined by 9 million. This happened for the first time in India’s history”. Mehrotra is Professor of Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University while Parida teaches at the Central University of Punjab.
This result is in stark contrast to the recent study by Laveesh Bhandari and Amaresh Dubey, which was commissioned by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, that claimed that total employment grew from 433 million in 2011-12 to 457 million in 2017-18.
Mehrotra and Parida, however, claim that employment fell from 474 million in 2011-12 to 465 million in 2017-18. According to Himanshu’s opinion piece in Mint on August 1 — he has not yet written a formal paper on this issue — the total employment fell from 472.5 million in 2011-12 to an even more astounding 457 million — a fall of over 15 million over the six years. In other words, close to 2.6 million jobs were lost every year between 2011-12 and 2017-18.
On the face of it, these stark contrasts — there is a difference of 40 million in the estimates for 2011-12 given by Bhandari and Dubey on the one hand and Mehrotra and Parida and Himanshu on the other — are surprising because the underlying data for all these studies is the same — the National Sample Survey Organisation’s Employment-Unemployment Surveys for 2004-05 and 2011-12, and PLFS 2017-18. In other words, the ratios of employment and unemployment used by all academics are the same, but the absolute numbers differ.
The ratios of employment and unemployment used by all academics are the same, but the absolute numbers differ.
While the academics figure out why they differ — neither side has read the other side’s paper as yet — there are two possible reasons.
One is the choice of the estimate for the total population of the country that is used to arrive at the total employment number. A higher population estimate used would yield a higher employment estimate. Bhandari and Dubey use 1.36 billion as India’s population for 2017-18. Mehrotra and Parida use 1.35 billion and say they do so to arrive at estimates that do not attract criticism for being unnecessarily low. The World Bank’s number for 2017-18 is lower at 1.33 billion. Himanshu, however, uses the number provided in the government’s official GDP data — and this is considerably lower at 1.31 billion.
This confusion about India’s population estimates has arisen because the government has not yet released the population projections based on Census 2011. They should have been released in 2016 as per the past norm.
The second reason for the difference between Bhandari and Dubey’s estimate and the rest is that the former have only used “principal status” of employment while leaving out the “subsidiary status”.
In essence, principal status checks if a person was employed for more than 182 days in the 365 days preceding the survey while subsidiary status checks if a person was employed for at least 30 days in the past year. Choosing only principal status would thus inadequately estimate both employment and unemployment. Since a fair amount of employment in India is seasonal — for example, brick-making doesn’t happen during monsoon and many women tend to work for short periods aligned to the demand in agriculture etc. — the norm is to map both principal and subsidiary status.
Courtesy: indianexpress.com
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Dental student death: Probe against faculty after harassment allegations
Kannur (Kerala)(PTI): Police have launched a probe against faculty members of Kannur Dental College after a first-year student died after falling from a building in a suspected suicide, officials said on Sunday.
Chakkarakkal police, who registered a case of unnatural death, initiated the probe after the parents and friends of the deceased alleged that he had been subjected to emotional harassment by faculty members.
The deceased has been identified as Nithin Raj RL (22), a native of Uzhamalackal, Puthukulangara, Thiruvananthapuram and a first-year BDS student of the college located in Anjarakandy here.
According to police, Raj was found critically injured near the medical college block after falling from the building on the afternoon of April 10. Though he was rushed to the medical college and given treatment, he later succumbed to his injuries.
Following the incident, the college initiated an internal inquiry and on Saturday suspended Dental Anatomy Department Head MK Ram and Associate Professor KT Sangeetha Nambiar.
Police said Raj had sent an audio message to his friends alleging harassment by faculty members, including threats of physical assault and academic repercussions such as reducing his marks in examinations.
Officials at Chakkarakkal police station said a detailed probe is underway into the incident, with digital evidence being collected.
Also, statements by Raj's classmates, college authorities and family members will be recorded soon, police added.
Raj's father Rajan told reporters that his son was emotionally and "verbally harassed" by teachers over his dark complexion and poor family background.
"He worked hard without any support to secure admission on a merit seat in the dental college. But he was harassed by faculty over his caste and complexion. They also threatened to harm him academically," Rajan claimed.
He said that they have lodged a complaint against the faculty members with the police and are expecting a fair probe into the death of his son.
Raj's sister Nikitha said that he had faced repeated harassment based on caste and complexion.
She claimed that Raj had filed a complaint with the college principal, but no action was taken.
"He used to tell us about such discrimination and harassment regularly. He was once called to the staff room where he was severely harassed," she alleged.
The sister also claimed that Raj was once called a "slum dog" in the classroom in front of other students by a faculty member. "Once, when the harassment became unbearable, he reacted, after which the verbal abuse intensified," she added.
When contacted, college authorities told PTI that two faculty members had been suspended and that they were cooperating with the police investigation.
"We will fully cooperate with the investigation and share all details. Further action will be taken based on the outcome of the police probe," an official said.
The body of Raj was brought to his residence in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, and buried on the land owned by the family.
Sheeba MR, mother of veterinary student Sidharthan JS, who died in 2024 allegedly after being ragged by fellow students at the Government Veterinary College, Wayanad, visited the house of Raj.
Sheeba said that after her son’s death, she had hoped such incidents would not recur in colleges, but a similar tragedy had happened again.
"These suspensions are only cosmetic as those responsible will be reinstated later. In Sidharthan’s case, the accused students were to be re-admitted soon. Only after our legal fight are they still kept out," she said.
Meanwhile, political leaders also demanded a detailed probe into the incident.
Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala called for a high-level inquiry into Raj’s death.
He said the government should take seriously the allegations by the student’s parents and relatives that caste-and-complexion-based harassment led to the death and take urgent steps to bring those responsible to justice.
Chennithala said the issue should not be closed by merely suspending two teachers and noted that the parents had firmly alleged severe caste discrimination.
Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan visited Raj’s house and demanded a thorough probe.
"Teachers are expected to guide students. How did such people become teachers? There should be a detailed probe," he said.
He added that strict intervention was needed to ensure such incidents are not repeated in the state.
CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP A A Rahim also visited the family and described the incident as painful.
Rahim said Raj was the hope of his family, which had supported his education despite hardship.
"CPI(M) will stand with the family until justice is delivered. Such an incident should not have happened in a society like Kerala," he said.
He also compared the incident with the death of Rohith Vemula at the University of Hyderabad.
"The family has told us that Raj faced repeated caste discrimination and was deeply affected by it. A detailed probe must be conducted and justice ensured. The action taken should set an example so that such incidents are not repeated in Kerala," Rahim said.
Meanwhile, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission on Sunday directed the police to conduct a detailed probe into the death of the student and submit a report within a week.
The Commission took a case on its own based on media reports.
Commission Judicial member K Baijunath issued directions to the Kannur City Police Commissioner to investigate the allegations surrounding the incident and file a report within the stipulated time, according to a statement.
