At 9am on April 12, a dozen youths in the age group of 16 to 25 reached Rajkamal Chowk on their motorbikes.

The office of the district Congress unit was closed. One youth dialled a number on his phone and was told to wait. “He said he would be late. Let us go to the BJP office,” the youth, a second-year undergraduate student, told his friends.

The youth told The Telegraph that they had got a “job” — to campaign for political parties.

“We are not workers of any party. Some of us are students and some are just sitting at home. We are free to be hired by any party. The Congress leader will be late, so we will go to the BJP office. They pay us Rs 400 to Rs 500 per person per day. We will carry their flags and banners and join the campaign,” the youth said before leaving.

The conversation provides a glimpse of the unemployment situation, which has left youths at the doorstep of political parties as “freelance workers”.

Low income, no jobs

Mayank Pable, a businessman and resident of the city, said people’s income in Amravati and the adjoining districts have come down in the past few years as job opportunities have declined. This has forced youths of college-going age to look for small-time jobs like freelance workers of political parties.

“Amid a job crisis and a decline in family income, the elections have come as a source of income for these youths. They do not understand anything about politics but they work for any political party that pays them,” Pable said.

Nagpur is the most developed city in the region. Subham Poddar supports his family by driving an Ola cab in the city. But his job does not match his educational qualifications.

“I did an MA in history in 2014 from Nagpur University. I tried for a regular job, but did not get one. My parents gave me this car. I have accepted the job,” Poddar said.

He said Ola charged 30 per cent of the fare as commission, which affects his income.

“The state government should focus on job creation. The job crisis is enormous. Our students are going to Mumbai and Pune for jobs,” Poddar said.

Low family income has forced Ram Sen, a first-year undergraduate student of City Premium College, to work as a security guard for four months to support his studies.

“Our family income is not very good. I had to work as a security guard after my Class XII exams. I earned about Rs 35,000 and paid my tuition fees,” Sen said.

Prof. Shreenivas Khandewale, an economist and expert on development of Vidarbha, said low income and joblessness were common problems in the country but they were acute in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra comprising the districts of Amravati, Nagpur, Yavatmal, Akola, Wardha, Buldhana, Washim, Chandrapur, Bhandara, Gadchiroli and Gondia.

In 1960, Vidarbha became part of Maharashtra because the locals predominantly spoke Marathi. The State Reorganisation Commission report of 1955 had recommended statehood for Vidharbha. Senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari had promised a separate Vidarbha state in 2014 if the party came to power in Maharashtra and the Centre. But it has not happened.

Khandewale said there was an agreement between Congress leaders of western Maharashtra and Vidarbha that the Vidarbha region would get a proportionate share in employment, industrialisation and development. However, they have been neglected over the years.

“Most of the development funds were spent in western Maharashtra. Facilities were developed in that region. As a result, industrialisation took pace in western Maharashtra and nearby areas like Marathwada and Aurangabad,” he said.

Stagnant industries

The state government has set up the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), which has developed industrial areas in each district. Small-scale industries have been promoted in these industrial areas. However, many of these units have been closed down in the MIDC areas in the districts of Vidarbha.

The MIDC in Amravati wears a desolate look. A few food processing and paper-making units are operational.

In 2002, the state government set up the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) to set up a Multimodal International Hub Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN) and a multi-product special economic zone adjacent to it. Gadkari had promised to attract big aviation industries to MIHAN to create employment opportunities. However, MIHAN is yet to see any major aviation sector company.

At present, 96 companies including L&T, TCS, HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra, Boeing Spare Parts Co and Lipun Ltd are operating from this SEZ.

Khandewale said that since there are no major industries in the region, the MIDCs have not grown. He said the MIHAN project housing 86 companies in two decades was not a sign of healthy industrial growth.