The Congress party, in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha election, has put forth a comprehensive plan to tackle critical issues such as unemployment and social inequalities. One of the central initiatives highlighted in the manifesto is the Yuva Nyay programme, which aims to directly address the problem of unemployment by proposing to fill around 30 lakh job vacancies in various sectors including government positions, teaching roles, medical institutions, and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).
Additionally, the party has emphasized the need to abolish the Agnipath programme and revert to traditional recruitment processes to strengthen the employment structure within the Armed Forces. The manifesto also outlines a commitment to conduct a nationwide Socio-Economic and Caste Census, with proposals to amend the constitution to allow for increased reservation quotas beyond the current 50% cap for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC), along with implementing a 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) across all communities.
Education and empowerment of marginalized communities, particularly Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), have been given special attention in the manifesto. Plans include doubling scholarship funds, establishing networks of residential schools, and providing enhanced credit facilities for home-building and entrepreneurship opportunities for these communities. The Congress party has also expressed its commitment to reserving 50% of central government jobs for women by 2025 and doubling the number of Anganwadi workers to create additional employment opportunities.
In recognition of the private sector's importance in job creation, especially the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector, Congress aims to support businesses of all sizes in their employment generation endeavors by introducing employment-linked incentive schemes to encourage corporations to hire for regular, quality jobs. Furthermore, the manifesto introduces an urban employment programme that guarantees employment for individuals in urban areas and envisions initiatives like the Water Bodies Restoration Programme and Wasteland Regeneration Programme to engage low-educated, low-skilled youth in meaningful employment opportunities.