YSR Telangana Party founder Y.S. Sharmila demanded the government to direct the estimated 54 lakh unemployed youth in the State towards jobs, in addition to immediately launching the unemployment allowance scheme that was first proposed at the 2018 TRS poll campaign.
Citing figures, she said Telangana is at the peak with regard to unemployment in the country and observed that joblessness grew by four times in the past seven years under the ruling TRS government.
Sitting in the day-long hunger strike, Nirudyogula Koraku Nirahara Deeksha, at Pullemla village of Chandur in the district, as part of her weekly hunger strikes on Tuesdays, she demanded the government for release of notifications for job vacancies and measures to provide up to three lakh jobs in the private sector.
Ms. Sharmila, who garnered a wide response from voluntary organisations, unions and locals, recollected the role of youth, like the sacrifice of Srikantha Chary, in the separate Telangana movement. She also met the family of Srikantha, a local youth who reportedly ended his life over delay in job notifications.
The YSRTP leader launched an attack on the ruling government for ridiculing her methods of protest, like the Tuesday-hunger strikes, and said that ruling leaders must come to a debate on unemployment in the State. The protests would continue till 1.9 lakh listed vacancies in the government are filled, she said.
Meanwhile, as the deeksha was in progress, local Congress legislator Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy called up Ms. Sharmila and expressed solidarity with her movement.
