The Congress party has raised concerns over the alarming unemployment rate in India, particularly among the youth. Citing the India Employment Report 2024, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge highlighted that 83% of unemployed Indians are youths, and only 17.5% of rural youth are engaged in regular work.
Kharge criticized the Modi government for its inaction on unemployment, claiming that it has "snatched more than 12 crore jobs from the youth." He accused the government of ignoring the plight of young people, who are facing a bleak future due to the lack of job opportunities.
The Congress has proposed a plan called 'Yuva Nyay' to address the unemployment crisis. This plan includes filling vacant central government posts, implementing a right to apprenticeship law, and creating a fund to support job creation in districts across the country.
Former finance minister P Chidambaram also criticized the government's stance on unemployment, stating that the Chief Economic Advisor's comments that the government cannot solve all social and economic problems are "shocking." He asserted that the Congress has a concrete plan to tackle unemployment, which will be revealed in its manifesto.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra echoed these concerns, emphasizing that the youth have realized that the BJP cannot provide employment. She pointed out that the share of educated youth in the total unemployed has almost doubled since 2000. The Congress, she said, has a concrete plan to provide employment to the youth.