Unemployment and other socio-economic factors are at the root cause of militancy, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said yesterday.
Sangma said this after police announced the arrest of the suspected leader of a supposed new militant group, Lawei ba Phyrnai. Two other people have been questioned but not arrested in connection with the group, which issued threats to blow up schools because of the government’s supposed failure in providing jobs for the youth.
“I have always maintained in all my statements that militancy is not the problem, it is a result of the problem, which is socio-economic,” Sangma said, adding that job creation is a national and even global problem that governments attempt to resolve in different ways.
Sangma highlighted his government’s attempts at promoting entrepreneurship and other programmes to spur innovation and job creation.
“Be it not job seekers or job creators, in the food processing sector, tourism or small scale industries we have come up with different mission mode programmes which are targeted towards creating jobs,” the CM said.
The state government has been launching these schemes and programmes because unemployment is one of its “top priorities”.
“Obviously, it (unemployment) is not something that can be resolved but we hope to find a solution one day,” Sangma added.
