The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): The Congress party launched a scathing attack on the central government over the issue of unemployment on Wednesday, alleging that the country is sitting on a “ticking bomb” of joblessness, with the youth bearing the brunt of the Modi government’s “apathy”. The party asserted that it has a concrete plan for providing jobs to the youth.
Citing the India Employment Report 2024 released by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Institute of Human Development (IHD), Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge urged people to remember before voting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to provide 20 crore jobs in 10 years but “snatched more than 12 crore jobs from the youth”.
Kharge stated, “Our Youth is bearing the brunt of Modi government’s pathetic apathy, as ever-rising Unemployment has destroyed their future. ILO & IHD Report conclusively says that the Unemployment problem is grim in India.” He added, “They are conservative, we are sitting on a ‘ticking bomb’ of joblessness!”
The Congress president criticized the Modi government’s Chief Economic Advisor for saying that the “government can’t solve all social, economic problems such as unemployment”. Kharge cited the ILO report, which states that 83% of jobless Indians are youths and only 17.5% of the youth in rural areas are engaged in regular work.
According to the report, the share of people employed in industry and manufacturing has remained the same since 2012 at 26% of the total workforce, while the percentage of youth involved in economic activities decreased from 42% in 2012 to 37% by 2022. Kharge argued that compared to the Congress-led UPA government, fewer young people are involved in economic activities under the Modi dispensation due to an acute scarcity of jobs.
Kharge claimed that youth unemployment has tripled under the Modi government compared to 2012, and that is why the Congress has introduced ‘Yuva Nyay’. He listed the guarantees of the Congress under ‘Yuva Nyay’, such as filling up nearly 30 lakh vacant central government posts and the right to apprenticeship law for degree/diploma holders, which will guarantee them apprenticeship with an assistance of Rs 1 lakh per year.
The Congress party also promises to put a full stop on paper leaks by bringing a new law and introduce a new law for social security and working conditions in the gig economy. A fund of Rs 5,000 crore will be created and distributed among all the districts in the country, with each district receiving Rs 10 crore from the fund.
Congress leader P Chidambaram and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also attacked the BJP-led central government over the issue of unemployment. Chidambaram asserted that the Congress has a concrete plan to tackle the issue, which will be revealed in its manifesto. Gandhi stated that every youth in the country has understood that the BJP cannot provide employment, but the Congress party has a concrete plan to provide jobs to them.