Rozgar mela or ‘joke’ mela?

Manmeet Singh Gill
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, September 25

The mega rozgar mela organised by the district administration at ITI Ranjit Avenue here on Wednesday offered jobs as food delivery boys, insurance agents, marketing agents for various products, etc.

In most cases, the educational qualification demanded for the jobs was Class X and XII. “It seems these companies are looking for cheap labour at this mela. There is nothing up for grabs for graduates and postgraduates,” said a candidate.

Another girl complained, “The salaries being offered are too less. It seems that the entire exercise is futile.” She said she failed to see even a single happy face at the event who could have found a decent, well-paid job.

Most candidates rued that in most jobs the salary was not discussed at the time of the interview and instead they were asked to fill a form regarding the expected salary. “The employers should have advertised the salary in the boards outside. In most cases, they had mentioned the salary as per company norms. But who knows what these company have to offer” said Sanjeev Kumar, another candidate.

Meanwhile, the district administration claimed that a total of 1,342 candidates were provided jobs by different companies during the event. A press note issued by the administration said 2,316 candidates were registered during the event in which 55 companies participated.

Deputy Commissioner Shivdular Singh Dhillon said the next rozgar mela would be organised at Government Polytechnic College, Chehharta, on September 27.

Medical Education and Research Minister Om Parkash Soni said the “Ghar ghar rozgar” campaign of the state government helped at least 9 lakh persons get employment. The government had also set up skill development centres for the candidates, he added.