:dateline:A recent survey by the�National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)�has made shocking claims.� One of them suggests that the unemployment rate amongst the Sikhs in India has gone up at least 1.5% in the past 5 years.� The rate was initially 4.6% until 2005, however it grew to 6.1 in its 2009-10 survey.� Another shocking claim of the survey suggests that over 48% of India�s farmers are in debt and that Sikhs are the biggest spenders in India.
Although the survey suggests a high rise in unemployment amongst Sikhs in India, the rate is actually quite higher if conditions are to be considered of actual practicing Sikhs in Punjab.� Sikh youth graduating from universities in Punjab face grave discrimination in India and parts of Punjab, including Chandigarh and neighboring states.� Sikhs are particularly discriminated against for keeping unshorn beards and wearing the five articles of faith.
In recent years, Punjab has seen a rise in colleges and universities but even such an exponential rise has failed to help Punjabi Sikhs nab jobs outside of Punjab.� The State Government needs to play an important role in ensuring Punjabis are well versed not only in their mother language, but also in English.� A recent article on the subject by Tribune News Service suggests that Punjabis often have to resort to speaking Hindi in order to find jobs.
In a news article published by TNN, the author Sarbjit Dhaliwal has quoted Balwant Singh Ramoowalia as having made the following statement, �He said the Chandigarh Administration was to recruit 246 conductors in the CTU and the aspirants were to apply for the job by August 26. They were required to have a conductor�s licence.� However, the department concerned maintained that those who had passed the matric exam with Punjabi, not Hindi, as the main subject were not eligible for the licence.�
Ramoowalia further stated that, �when countries like Canada and UK are giving Punjabi due space in their administrative setup, the language is being pushed out from government institutions in our own country.�
