Kharge attacks Modi government over youth unemployment crisis

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge launched a scathing critique of the Modi government, accusing it of focusing on keeping young people unemployed. Kharge cited various reports, including independent studies and government data, to bolster his argument on the urgent issue of unemployment.

Kharge questioned the government’s rejection of independent economic reports, highlighting the latest government statistics which he said refute the Centre’s claims on employment. He pointed out that according to the Annual Survey of Unregistered Sector Enterprises (NSSO), the manufacturing sector alone lost 54 lakh jobs between 2015 and 2023. Moreover, the current urban unemployment rate is 6.7%, as per the Periodic Labour Force Survey.

Referring to the findings of IIM Lucknow and Azim Premji University, Kharge highlighted the high unemployment rate among educated youth and low participation of women in the labour force. He also noted a recent Citigroup report that stated that India needs 1.2 crore jobs per year, adding that the country’s average GDP growth of 5.8% under Modi’s government did not meet these requirements. Kharge blamed government policies, including demonetisation and poorly planned implementation of GST, for aggravating the unemployment crisis.

(Disclaimer: Based on information obtained from the agency.)