Jobs dry up, Cong starts Rozgar Do campaign

Congress creating National Register of Unemployed to draw Centre’s attention to rising unemployment

As urban unemployment rate in India which is reeling under an economic crisis climbs up to nearly 10% in August, Youth Congress National in-charge Krishna Allavaru said the situation has worsened because of the BJP-led government’s bad decisions including the mishandling of economy and unplanned lockdown.

Allavaru was in Ahmedabad on Tuesday to launch ‘Rozgar Do’ (Give Jobs) campaign in a bid to reach out to unemployed youth. The Congress youth wing has launched the nationwide campaign to prepare a National Register of Unemployed (NRU) to highlight rising unemployment and demand answers from the government about the steps it was taking to address the issue. The Congress exhorted the unemployed in Gujarat to give a missed call on 79987 99854 to seek employment from the BJP-led government. The call details will be collected and sent to the government “to keep the focus on real issues”. The demand for NRU is in response to the high rate of unemployment in India, which has reached its highest level in 45 years, Congress leaders said.

Allaveru accused the ruling BJP government of “destroying” the economy even before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. “Demonetisation, flawed GST and an unplanned lockdown in March, despite warnings of an ‘economic tsunami’ by Rahul Gandhi were not act of God but the policies and decisions of the BJP government that have led to unemployment among the youth,” he said.

GPCC President Amit Chavda said Gujarat has more than 50 lakh unemployed youth even when the State has had a BJP government for 22 years. He said that recruitment of 38,000 people in 23 departments has been stalled at various stages. Opposition leader Paresh Dhanani said that the employment campaign will be taken to 18,000 villages in Gujarat. Youth Congress will undertake wall painting, signature campaigns and gherao BJP MLAs’ residences to seek employment.