Even if it had had a less unfortunate take-off, it is unlikely that it would have made a difference for the 9,60,000 unemployed in the State. The BJP government's Deen Dayal umbrella scheme, covering both Central and State agencies, aimed to train and prepare some 50,000 youths for self-employment.

Though both State Labour Minister Ashok Bhatt and Employment Director Sangeeta Singh assert that the scheme has not been buried, their words mean little to Shashikant Pancholi and Rajesh Mali of Chhotaudepur and Morwa villages, both matriculates and both unemployed. They know nothing about the chance they missed in the Deen Dayal scheme or any of the dozen other schemes the government floats periodically to ``generate'' employment.

For the moment, all that Pancholi has is hope. ``I have been dreaming about a job for the past three years'', he says, while Mali says he's tired of running from pillar to post for some sort of employment. Both men are only too aware that with each frustrated day, they grow older and less attractive for prospective employers on the look-out for young blood.

``Hun janu chhu, hun ghar ma kive rite rahu chhu, jamva chhu (Only I know how ashamed I am of living and eating at home'', says another unemployed youth, but few ears are listening.

In another five years, the figures of the State's jobless will swell from 9,60,000 to 13,00,000. At present, the Ahmedabad region of the State Employment Directorate has more than 3,50,000 unemployed; the figures for Rajkot, Vadodara and Surat are 2,50,000, 2,00,000 and 1,30,000 respectively.

According to official sources, the unemployment graph is on an ``abnormal'' upward spiral throughout the State; placement is a negligible four per cent annually. No figures are available on the unregistered unemployed.

Ironically, as uncertain are the self-employment schemes for just such people. Twenty-odd government departments -- including rural welfare, development, industries, fisheries, small industries -- have their own self-employment schemes, besides, of course, the Nehru Rozgar Yojna, Jawahar Rozgar Yojna, Employment Assurance Scheme, Million Wells Scheme, Training of Rural Youth for Self-Reliance and a dozen others.

The reasons why the twain hardly ever meet are not far to seek: industrial recession; non-vocational education (whereby the unemployed do not get to possess the skills industry requires); corruption; legal rigidity; poor marketing of the self-employed's produce; non-existent channels between the organised and non-organised sectors.

The solution, according to T M Patel Assistant Director, Employment Directorate, Vadodara, and his superiors, lies in increasing mass awareness. ``The youth will have to change its attitude towards employment. But most hanker after white-collar jobs'', says Patel, adding that the self-employment schemes available with the panchayats largely go unpatronised since rural youths were unwilling to continue traditional occupations, like carpentry or weaving.

However, promises Gandhinagar-based Joint Director R Mehta, ``The government will do all it can if the youth are willing to move with the times and take up self-employment''.