Unemployment a tricky issue in Rajasthan polls

On a balmy afternoon in a street full of coaching institutes, a motley crowd of around 1,000 unemployed youths raise slogans like “Jo yuvao ki sunega, woh i satta mein aayega" (Those who will listen to youths, would come to power). 

Another set of youth encircle the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board Office some distance away and shout out the same slogans. 

“Youths are frustrated. Paper leaks have been happening routinely. The state government has no jobs to offer. Whatever little they offered,  now with the model code of conduct, all of them have been put on hold. We have been trying to raise the issue of unemployment with political parties, governments and have been holding protests, sit-ins, anything which can make our leaders more sympathetic towards our cause,” Upen Yadav,  state head of the unemployed youth organisation, Rajasthan Berozgar Ekikrit Mahasangh told DH. 

Upen, 33, has been struggling to get a job for himself for more than 11 years now. He has lost hope and now only works for other youths. With a Facebook following of more than one lakh, he is vocal about the pains of the unemployed. He says their demands are simple: to ensure no further paper leaks in government job examinations, to provide employment on time and to complete the recruitments already in process. 

Upen says : “In 2018, educated unemployed youths had voted for the Congress. This time we are still awaiting the manifestos regarding jobs from both Congress and BJP. They have been trying to get in touch but we haven’t committed yet.  We have kept our options open but this time youths would have a major say in the poll results.”

According to State Election Commission data, Rajasthan has around 2.73 crore voters in the age group of 18 to 39 years. Out of this, there are 22 lakh youngsters in the age group of 18-20 years, who would vote for the first time.  Voters in the age group of 20 to 29 years, who are most eligible for jobs, number around 1.32 crore.

This sizeable chunk of voters definitely matter for all political parties. 

To woo this section, Congress leader Sachin Pilot had gone against his own government raising the issue of paper leaks and demanding action. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot brought in an amendment in the Rajasthan Public Examinations (Measures of Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Act, 2022, making the punishment life term and non bailable. At least 12 recruitment examinations have been cancelled since 2018 due to paper leaks. Although leaks happen in many other states, here it has become a major poll issue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has touched upon the paper leak mafia in all his election speeches, saying it has ruined the future of lakhs of youths, who now demand justice.  

In a shrewd political move to assuage the feelings of youth, Gehlot in his last Budget in March 2023, announced one lakh recruitments in the vacant posts in this financial year. Gehlot had also launched the Rajasthan Berojgari Bhatta Yojana, which provides a monthly financial assistance of Rs 3500 and also training in skill development. 

Answering a Vidhan Sabha query, the state administration informed that the state has 18,40,044 registered unemployed, out of which 14,40,916 are graduates and at least 1,01,956 who have studied beyond graduation as on February 21, 2023.  And at least 1,90,873 have been getting their employment allowance regularly. 

Rajasthan, however, has the second highest unemployment rate at 28.5 per cent after Haryana (37.4 per cent), according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy update in January, 2023.  

Dipa Sinha, Assistant professor, School of Liberal Studies, Dr B R Ambedkar University, Delhi says: “Although unemployment amongst educated youths is a challenging issue, it cannot be an electoral issue. It would have a minuscule effect on poll results.  It is an economic challenge and it is just not possible for the state government to generate more government jobs, which is still seen as the safest bet. The Central government has to pitch in with labour law reforms and educational reforms. Any country’s growth is led by manufacturing because it is labour intensive and employment elasticity is highest in manufacturing.”