Where are jobs after graduation? Kharge attacks Modi govt over unemployment
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led government at the Centre, alleging that its policies have weakened the link between education and employment for young Indians. In a series of posts on the social media platform X, Kharge cited data from the Niti Aayog and the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) to highlight what he described as a growing unemployment crisis.
The Periodic Labour Force Survey is a key source of official data on employment and unemployment in India. The term 'NEET' refers to people who are not in education, employment, or training. According to the figures cited by Kharge, approximately 8.7 crore Indians aged 15 to 29 are currently in this situation. He also claimed that the overall youth unemployment rate stands at 15.6%, while the unemployment rate among young women is even higher at 19.5%.
The Congress president specifically drew attention to the plight of graduates. He said graduates account for 67% of unemployed individuals in the 20-29 age group, and that unemployment among graduates aged 15 to 25 is nearly 40%. This, he said, indicates a systemic failure in converting educational qualifications into livelihood opportunities.
“Where are the jobs after graduation?” Kharge asked, addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi directly. He noted that families often exhaust their savings and students take on education loans to obtain degrees, only to be met with a scarcity of suitable jobs. The Congress leader also questioned the government's earlier commitment to creating 2 crore jobs every year, saying that if fulfilled, the promise would have resulted in 24 crore jobs over the past 12 years.
In his posts, Kharge further alleged that lakhs of government posts remain vacant while secure employment is increasingly being replaced by contractual and part-time work. He listed a series of issues affecting young jobseekers, including expensive and inadequate education, examination paper leaks, delays in recruitment, a widening skills gap, and a shortage of quality jobs.
“Who is turning India's demographic dividend into a demographic disaster?” Kharge asked, pointing to the government's failure to utilise the country's large young population.
The Congress chief also attacked the government's education policies and examination system, accusing it of failing to ensure trustworthiness in exams. He concluded by referencing Prime Minister Modi's claim that his government would achieve what previous administrations could not accomplish in 70 years. “You have certainly delivered on that boast: an education system that costs more, infested with RSS, examinations young Indians cannot trust, and degrees that increasingly come without jobs,” Kharge said.
These allegations come as India moves closer to the next general elections, with employment expected to be a major political issue. The data cited by Kharge are from official sources, but interpretations of these figures often vary between political parties.
As of now, the central government has not issued an official response to Kharge's remarks. It is expected that the BJP will counter the Congress president's allegations in due course.
