By Dr. Gyan Pathak
The last 10 years of PM Narendra Modi’s rule have made education too costly, and employment too scarce. Youth from the majority of households in the country just can’t afford quality education. Youth unemployment has reached at unprecedentedly high level, for millions it was a lost decade, and millions have become overage losing lifetime opportunity for employment.
The miseries in which our youths are suffering have already attracted national and international attention. A recent ILO-IHD joint report, based on the date provided by government and authoritative sources, has said that 83 per cent of among unemployed are youth, 90 per cent of those who somehow managed to get job are informally employed, 82 per cent are informal sector, and 55.8 per cent were self employed in 2022. Casual employment was 22.7 per cent and regular employment was 21.5 per cent.
Moreover, Modi government had refused to frame National Employment Policy recommended by Indian Labour Conference, the highest tripartite body of the country on labour and employment issues. Every year 16 million attain adulthood in the country. About 27 per cent in total population of the country are youth, and unemployment rate among them was 18.4 per cent in 2022. Among graduates unemployment rate was much higher at 29.1 per cent.
Political parties in opposition have therefore brought the issues of youth and employment in focus through their manifestoes. The ruling BJP has invited youth of the country for inputs to prepare their manifesto for Lok Sabha election 2024 through digital advertising – “Deshke Yuva Batayen – BJP ka Sankalp Patra Kaisa ho.” (Youth of the country tell us what should be BJP’s manifesto).The party has already recognized youth as crucial vote bank and hence has invited their participation in manifesto making process. PM Narendra Modi has recently said that India’s youth are now not job seekers but job givers through their enterprises.
Nevertheless, Indian National Congress, the major political party in the opposition INDIA bloc, has emphatically noted the joblessness of the youth in India and other issues relating to them. In its manifesto for Lok Sabha election 2024, which the party has titled Nyay Patra, Congress has focused its entire guarantees around Panch Nyay (Fivefold Justice), the first being Yuva Nyay (Justice for Youth). The others being Naari Nyay (Justice for women), Kisaan Nyay (Justice for Farmers), Sharamik Nyay (Justice for Workforce), and Hissedari Nyay (Justice for equitable opportunities).
“The future lies in the youth of today” is particularly relevant for a young nation like India with a median age of just28 years. The youth of India face joblessness as well as hopelessness. The root cause is massive unemployment that has got worse every year under the BJP/NDA government. Congress will tackle this issue on a war footing with a clear Yuva Nyay programme,” reads the Congress manifesto.
Congress guarantees a new Right to Apprenticeship Act to provide a one year apprenticeship with a private or a public sector company to every diploma holder or college graduate below the age of 25. Apprentices will get Rs1 lakh a year. The apprenticeship will impart skills, enhance employability and provide full-time job opportunities for millions of youth. The party has given guarantee of filling the nearly 30 lakh vacancies in sanctioned posts at various levels in the central government, adding that they will stipulate that vacancies in the panchayats and municipal bodies shall be filled according to a timetable agreed with state governments.
Congress manifesto says that the party will restructure the Fund of Funds Scheme for start-ups and allocate 50 per cent of the available fund, as far as possible equally among all districts, for providing funds to youth below 40 years of age to start their own businesses and generate employment.
One most important assurance that Congress manifesto has given relates to unaffordable cost in searching for jobs especially for the youth of the poor households. It says that the party would abolish application fees for government examinations and government posts.
Congress manifesto has also assured bringing down cost of education and improving quality of education at all levels, both in government and private educational institutions.
The CPI(M) manifesto promises for Right to Work as a constitutional right. The party has promised to fill all government and public sector vacancies, and strengthening MSMEs for creation of jobs. It does not only has assured to double the allocation for rural employment guarantee scheme, but also has promised similar employment guarantee scheme for urban areas and also unemployment allowance for the jobless.
The destruction of India’s demographic dividend must be reversed through a change in current policies of job loss growth, CPI(M) manifesto says. The party has also assured to strengthen the Universal Right to Education and to stop Privatization of Higher Education, to make it affordable for youth from poor households.
CPI(M) manifesto says unemployment is one of the biggest failures of the Modi government that has promised two crore jobs a year. However, far from implementing this guarantee, the last five years have actually seen a reduction in jobs.
Other national parties are yet to come out with their manifestoes, preparation for which are at different stages. Similar is the case with almost all other major regional political parties. However, in their political campaigns all political parties are focusing on youth and unemployment. Focus of the regional political parties are however state specific.
Among the regional political parties DMK in its manifesto has focused on Tamil Nadu youths and employment, though the party has criticized PM Narendra Modi for promising 2 crore jobs to youth and not delivering even a small fraction of this. The party has however promised a law for urban employment guarantee, similar to the rural employment guarantee scheme MGNREGA. (IPA Service)
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