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By:

Rajendra Joshi

3 December 2024 at 9:20:26 am

The Warning Beyond NEET

The Jantar Mantar protests exposed the widening gap between education, employment and growth. The month-long protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar may have formally ended, but the political and economic questions it raised will linger. Triggered by the NEET paper leak, the movement became a major expression of youth discontent. What began as a demand for a fair examination system became a broader indictment of an economic model that promises opportunity but increasingly fails to deliver...

The Warning Beyond NEET

The Jantar Mantar protests exposed the widening gap between education, employment and growth. The month-long protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar may have formally ended, but the political and economic questions it raised will linger. Triggered by the NEET paper leak, the movement became a major expression of youth discontent. What began as a demand for a fair examination system became a broader indictment of an economic model that promises opportunity but increasingly fails to deliver employment. The government initially treated the protests as a law-and-order issue. That changed when the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological fountainhead of the ruling establishment, publicly criticised police action and expressed solidarity with the students. The subsequent resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, withdrawal of criminal cases and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's endorsement of the integrity and aspirations of India's Gen Z transformed the political narrative. The issue had moved beyond examination reform to whether India's development model is serving its young citizens. The NEET paper leak was merely the spark. The fuel had accumulated through rising educated unemployment, declining confidence in public institutions and growing frustration among millions of young Indians. Education is increasingly seen as an uncertain investment rather than a guaranteed pathway to opportunity. Every examination scandal reinforces the perception that merit alone is insufficient, while recruitment delays deepen the belief that the system is failing those who have done everything expected of them. India has celebrated its demographic dividend for nearly two decades, projecting its young workforce as its greatest competitive advantage. But demographic dividends are never automatic. They generate prosperity only when education is matched by employment, productivity and rising incomes. Otherwise, they become demographic liabilities that breed frustration rather than growth. The evidence suggests India is approaching that inflection point. GDP has expanded impressively over the past two decades, yet employment has failed to keep pace. Employment elasticity has weakened sharply. During the 1980s, every percentage point of GDP growth generated roughly half a percentage point increase in employment. Today the ratio is estimated at about 0.16, among the lowest for major emerging economies. Growth continues; jobs do not. This disconnect reflects India's growth strategy. Public policy has increasingly favoured capital-intensive industries through subsidies, tax incentives and investment support. Such sectors contribute to output and productivity but generate relatively fewer jobs. Agriculture continues to suffer from incomplete reforms and low productivity. Manufacturing has not expanded fast enough to absorb new workers, while artificial intelligence and automation are reducing opportunities in occupations once regarded as gateways to middle-class prosperity. India thus faces a paradox: it is producing more graduates while creating fewer opportunities to absorb them. The comparison with Asia is instructive. Vietnam and Bangladesh have pursued manufacturing-led growth that has generated substantially higher employment relative to economic expansion. Vietnam's employment-to-population ratio is estimated at nearly three-fourths, compared with about one-half in India. Vietnam has also moved into the upper-middle-income category, while India remains a lower-middle-income economy. These comparisons do not diminish India's achievements. They highlight the urgency of correcting structural weaknesses before they become politically destabilising. History demonstrates the risks of prolonged youth unemployment. The Arab Spring showed how educated but unemployed youth can transform political landscapes. More recently, political instability in Bangladesh and Nepal has reflected frustration among younger populations facing shrinking opportunities. India's democratic institutions are stronger, and its circumstances are different. Yet no democracy can indefinitely ignore the aspirations of its largest demographic group. The significance of Jantar Mantar lies here. India's Gen Z is organised, digitally connected and politically conscious. Social media transformed local grievances into a national movement within days, while traditional political parties largely responded after the sentiment had acquired independent momentum. The RSS intervention further complicated the government's challenge. Once protesting students found resonance within the ideological ecosystem closest to the ruling establishment, the issue ceased to be a partisan confrontation. It became an internal warning that India's youth expect credible institutions, transparent examinations and, above all, meaningful employment. The Centre's examination reforms are necessary but insufficient. Restoring the credibility of competitive examinations addresses only one symptom. The larger challenge is to redesign India's growth strategy around employment. Labour-intensive manufacturing, support for small and medium enterprises, investment in skills, higher-education reform and greater attention to employment outcomes must become central to economic planning. The Jantar Mantar agitation should not be remembered simply as the NEET protests. It marked a moment when India's youngest generation questioned the assumptions underlying the country's development model. Governments can manage protests and reform examinations. But unless economic growth translates into broad-based employment, similar movements will return. India's demographic dividend remains its greatest opportunity. It could equally become its greatest challenge. The warning has been delivered. The question is whether policymakers are prepared to listen.

'Sabby remained humble, soft-spoken'

Pushkaraj Sabharwal, father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, pays tribute to his son's mortal remains in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Pushkaraj Sabharwal, father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, pays tribute to his son's mortal remains in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Mumbai: With white smoke emanating from Captain Sumeet Sabharwal's funeral pyre providing the dark backdrop to the sombre mood at the crematorium, his two colleagues from Air India bade final farewell to their friend-cum-hero "Sabby" whose captivating smile won hearts.


Sabharwal was the pilot in command of the ill-fated Ahmedabad-London Gatwick Air India plane that crashed last week, killing 241 out of 242 people on board, and 29 on the ground.


Air India captain and Sabharwal's colleague Kapil Kohal stood numbed, struggling to maintain his composure, as his friend's mortal remains were consigned to flames at Muktidham crematorium in Chakala.


"Captain Sabharwal was our senior. We've known him for 35 years. He was a batch senior in training, and later, in Air India too," Kohal said, his voice heavy with grief and pride.


"He was our friend and colleague. Today, we see him as a hero," he added.


In a profession where uniforms are crisp and demeanours composed, Captain Sabharwal stood out — not just for his flying skills, but for his grounded nature.


"He lived simply. Two sets of clothes, a couple of pairs of slippers and shoes. That's all you'd find in his room," Kohal recalled.


"Despite wearing four stripes on his shoulders, he remained humble and soft-spoken. The crowd today says everything about his character," he added.


To those who knew him closely, "Sabby" was a quiet presence with a warm heart.


"We used to call him ‘Sag Sag' or just ‘Sabby'. We'd often joke with him — ‘Why are you always so serious?' He wouldn't speak much on WhatsApp groups. But he'd send thoughtful personal messages, asking about our families, and our kids' milestones. He cared deeply, quietly,” Kohal shared.


Cold skies

Captain Shankar Chaudhary, another colleague and close friend, said what he would miss most was Captain Sabharwal's radiant smile.


"Even after long-haul flights, he always greeted us with that same warm, reassuring smile. He was a happy-go-lucky guy," he said.


"Now, every time I see that final image of the aircraft going down, it tears me apart. I wonder—what would I have done in his place?" he said.


Captain Chaudhary also expressed frustration over early speculation on the cause of the crash.


"People are already calling it pilot error. I'm shocked and deeply saddened. That Dreamliner is a powerful aircraft. It can practically fly vertically. Even if the gear or flap or whatever was out, the engine power could override everything else," he added.


In the days since the tragedy, the skies above India have felt different to those who fly them.


"I took a flight out just two days after it happened.And the skies felt cold. The morale of everyone — passengers, ground staff, dispatchers — was just… shattered. Even on the ATC, you could hear it in their voices, especially when I used my call sign," said Captain Kohal.


He advised restraint while speculating the probable cause of the plane crash. "Authorities are doing their part, so let's wait. Even we, as professionals, are waiting to understand what exactly went wrong—so that we can retrain. In aviation, every crash, and every accident becomes a lesson—for the manufacturers, for us pilots, for the operators. Somewhere, something didn't align," he concluded.


Emotional farewell to cabin supervisor Shradha Dhavan

Under the quiet cover of darkness, amid flickering lamps and tear-filled eyes of near and dear ones, the body of Shradha Dhavan, cabin supervisor of the ill-fated Air India flight, was brought to the home she cherished.


The residents of 'Nishad' housing society in Mulund and many senior serving and retired officials of Air India had gathered on Thursday night to rally behind the family which decided to go for a cremation during the night after "four painful days" of waiting for her remains.


The atmosphere grew more sombre and heavier with grief when Shradha's inconsolable father, Madhav Dhavan, insisted that the coffin be taken to the flat that she had purchased — a place that now stood as a bitter-sweet reminder of aspirations never realised.


"It was a haunting moment, filled with the stark reality of dreams interrupted and the futures that would never unfold," said a close friend who worked with her. Among the inconsolable family members was the 15-year-old daughter of the victim who has virtually become numb as in Shradha, she not only lost a mother but a friend who always stood next to her in her life.


After performing rituals at home, the mortal remains of Shradha were moved to a nearby crematorium where the entire coffin was put on the pyre.


Quietly, her brother Vivek, who had received her coffin in Ahmedabad, pulled out a piece of sari, worn by her during the crash and her nameplate, and kept it on the funeral pyre with tears rolling down his eyes.


"After four painful days, her remains returned to her loved ones, who had anxiously awaited news," said another friend of Shradha. Shradha's daughter, who along with her father took a brave step forward, performed the final rituals.


Many people could not hold back their tears the moment the teenager placed the coffin on the pyre.


"We can't believe that the bond will be severed too soon," her friend said.


Shradha's friends shared stories, laughter, and tears, collectively honouring the vibrant life of a woman who had touched many hearts with her kindness and dedication.


Through the pain, they vowed to carry her spirit forward, keeping her memory alive in their hearts as they navigated this unimaginable loss.


Captain Sabharwal cremated

Last rites of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, pilot in command of the Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad last week, were performed in Mumbai on Tuesday with his grief-stricken father bidding a heart-wrenching, tearful farewell to his son before the cremation. The last rites were performed at an electric crematorium in suburban Chakala in the presence of family members, officials said, hours after Sabharwal's mortal remains were brought to Mumbai from Ahmedabad. After performing the final rites of the 56-year-old veteran pilot, his father and other family members left the crematorium at around 11.15 am, an official said.


Earlier in the morning, the casket carrying the remains of Sabharwal reached the Mumbai airport by a flight and was taken to his residence, located at Jal Vayu Vihar in Powai area, by his family members, an official said.


Several friends and relatives of Sabharwal as well as local residents gathered outside his residence to pay homage.


Businessman Niranjan Hiranandani and local MLA Dilip Lande were among those who visited Sabharwal's residence to pay respects to him. Sumeet Sabharwal's father Pushkaraj and other relatives were also seen paying homage. A hearse carrying the pilot's mortal remains then left for the electric crematorium at Chakala.

- With PTI

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