As the national elections approach, with barely a week left, BJP and Congress ramp up their campaigns. On one side, BJP boasts a slogan for more than 400 seats under Modi's assurance. Modi has stated, 'Modi's guarantee starts where hope ends.' Meanwhile, Congress counters with a promise of 3 million jobs.
Nationwide, youths protest for jobs from Jaipur to Lucknow and Ranchi, exhausted by unfulfilled opportunities, rampant exam leaks, and canceled recruitments. Now, Congress has prominently raised the issue, assuring to fill 3 million vacancies.
Rahul Gandhi's Electoral Assurance
Rahul Gandhi guarantees filling 3 million vacancies, one-year training stipends for graduates, social security for gig workers, a law to prevent paper leaks, and a 50 billion fund in every district for employment initiatives. He said, 'Modi suggests selling fritters, yet the most critical issue is the country's. There are 3 million government vacancies in India. Modi doesn't fill them. Our first act in government would be to provide jobs to 90 percent of these positions.'
Questioning Rahul's Figures
The central government reports about 964,000 unoccupied positions by 2022. The figure of 3 million vacancies seems puzzling, and Congress could clarify. But Rahul Gandhi's promise to quickly fill these positions politically focuses on about 250 million youths. It's estimated that since 2014, 22 million youths have applied for central government jobs alone, with less than 1 percent obtaining them and roughly 3 million youths sitting for government job exams each year.
The PM himself strives to fill positions promptly, issuing appointment letters for about 800,000 posts in 'mission mode' within the last 18 months, claiming that corruption that used to thrive in the delay is no more. PM Modi has significantly translucent the hiring process.
Centre Announces Increase in DA
On Thursday, the government announced a 4 percent DA increase, effective January 1, 2024. Allowances will rise from 46 to 50 percent, benefiting about 50 million government employees and 68 million pensioners. It was also decided to extend the PM Ujjwala Yojana scheme for another year, granting about 10 million families a 300 subsidy.
On average, a student spends 200,000 yearly on rent, books, preparation, coaching, and food for government job exams. Jobs are a highly politicized issue, yet effective policies seem absent on the ground. Rahul Gandhi may continue making promises linked to jobs, but the reality in Jharkhand, governed by a Congress coalition, reflects a space where youths are trapped in unemployment without signs of change.
In Jharkhand, Job Seekers Struggle Without Success under JMM and Congress Coalition
Jharkhand has undergone three government changes, the selection commission has altered its chair five times in nine years, and from an initial 65,000, 650,000 job seekers now appear for exams, many aging out. Even when exams for 9,000 secretariat positions were finally held after nine years, the paper leaked. Though the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Congress have formed a government promising 500,000 jobs, they haven't offered a model to rescue the youth from unemployment's quagmire, nor do they inform about canceled papers.
The Soren government in Jharkhand promised 500,000 jobs yearly, but in reality, over 73938 posts in the Home Department, 104,000 in Education, over 73,000 in Health, 3500 in Agriculture, and more than 7000 in Rural Development lay vacant. With over 700,000 registered unemployed, simply filling vacancies in a timely fashion could result in government jobs for half of them in Jharkhand.
Unemployed Protests in UP
In Uttar Pradesh, recruitment leaks, and police baton charges upon applicants, mark the struggle of the unemployed. In Lucknow, protests swell outside the Basic Education Minister's residence over 6900 vacant teaching posts. Despite two years of struggle, thousands of youths in UP seem unheard by the government. With the public only able to change their political allegiance every five years, the pressing question remains: when will the unemployed be heard?
