Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge slammed the BJP Government at the Centre over the unemployment issue and claimed that unemployment among the youth trebled under the present regime.
In an X post on Wednesday, the Congress chief wrote, “Our youth is bearing the brunt of (Narendra) Modi government’s pathetic apathy, as ever-rising unemployment has destroyed their future. The ILO (International Labour Organisation) and IHD (Institute for Human Development) report conclusively says that the unemployment problem is grim in India. They are conservative; we are sitting on a ‘ticking bomb’ of joblessness.”
“What does the latest ILO report say: 83 per cent of jobless Indians are youth. Only 17.5 per cent of youth in rural areas are engaged in regular work. The share of people employed in industry and manufacturing has remained the same since 2012 at 26 per cent of the total workforce. The percentage of youth involved in economic activities decreased from 42 per cent in 2012 to 37 per cent by 2022,” he said.
He asserted that fewer young people are now involved in economic activities compared to those under the previous Congress-led UPA government due to an acute scarcity of jobs under the Modi Government. “Compared to 2012, the youth unemployment has tripled under the Modi government,” Kharge said.
He invoked the ‘Yuva Nyay’ his party pledged to implement if it came to power at the Centre after the Lok Sabha polls.
Echoing similar sentiments, Congress general secretary in-charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh said, “The India Employment Report 2024 released yesterday by the ILO and IHD presents some extremely concerning facts on India’s labour market over the last 10 years of Anyay Kaal.”
Ramesh said, “The PM can keep trying to distort, distract, and divert, but youth unemployment is the defining issue for the country in the 2024 elections for the country. The Congress party has presented a concrete plan of action on unemployment. The days of pakoda-nomics will soon be over.”