I saw workers unload a train load of cement bags today, at Alwaye Railway station, near Kochi(Kerala, not Japan, obviously). It's hundreds of tonnes of cement, in 50kg bags, each carried on head, to the trucks parked nearby.
No, automation is not yet in agenda here.
It's a very defined set I procedure they're doing - lift the cement bags, move to the truck, keep it there in stacks. It could've been done much faster, in better order and very efficiently by a simple machine, instead of tens of labourers carrying the loads, one at a time.
It definitely is a point that employment opportunities should be created, and everyone should have jobs. But should it be by appointing 30-40 men doing inefficient jobs which can actually be very quickly and efficiently done by one or two men and a simple machine? I don't think this is the way forward. This is the way back to 1910.
How many employees are required to run a bus service in Kerala, the most literate state in India?
4 : One driver, one 'conductor' to serve tickets to the passengers, one guy to open and close the front door, another to open and close the back door. Very funny indeed.
I have a strong disagreement with creating employment opportunities like this. If India has strong workforce, why can't our nation be a world leader in manufacturing high quality products and exporting? Why can't we humans focus on doing things which machines can't do?
We have to find better things to spend our valuable time than being a replacement for simple machines.
No comments:
Post a Comment