New Delhi, March 18 The Congress on Wednesday attacked the government over graduate unemployment, saying that apart from rolling out a new agenda now and then to distract the public, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has no solution to the "mega-crisis."
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh cited a report by the Azim Premji University to make the allegation.
According to the report, 11 million out of 63 million graduates between the ages of 20 and 29 in India are unemployed, with only a small proportion securing stable salaried jobs within a year of graduation.
"This government, which is adept at keeping the country's people, especially the youth, waiting in line for jobs, but there are no jobs. Apart from rolling out some new agenda every now and then to distract attention, the Prime Minister has no solution to this mega-crisis," Ramesh said in a post on X.
The Modi government is a "champion in wildly fueling unemployment," he alleged.
"It's no surprise when the Prime Minister counts 'youth making reels' as the main achievement of his government in his election speeches. He has no other option, because the unemployment figures among educated, degree-holding youth in India that keep emerging are extremely alarming; so he lacks the courage to even talk about employment," Ramesh said.
He referred to the report's "terrifying truth," to say that only 7 per cent of graduates manage to land a permanent salaried job within a year of becoming unemployed, with men's share in education dropping from 38 per cent in 2017 to 34 per cent by the end of 2024.
Ramesh said that economic compulsion forced 58 per cent of youth to drop out in 2017 to contribute to family income.
The figure rose to 72 per cent in 2023, he added.
The 'State of Working India' report found that graduate unemployment remains high at nearly 40 per cent among those aged 15 to 25 and 20 per cent among the 25 to 29 age group.
The report says, "Only a small share secure stable salaried jobs within a year of graduation. The problem of graduate unemployment has been magnified in recent years owing to the growing size of the graduate population."
According to the report, the youth population has grown substantially in the last few decades, and so has the tertiary enrolment rate, increasing the absolute number of young graduates.