The Andhra Pradesh Congress president Smt. YS Sharmila revealed a stark picture in February 2024 that about 21,000 people died by suicide due to unemployment in five years. According to the AP State government data, the state had 6.16 lakh unemployed youth registered with the Government Employment Exchanges.
In June 2021, scores of unemployed youngsters in AP took to the streets to express discontent concerning the annual recruitment calendar released by the state government then. The unemployed protesters expressed deep disappointment with the YSRCP government’s calendar, as it only notified 10,143 jobs, while over 1.5 lakh government jobs had to be filled.[i]
AP faces a critical problem of high unemployment among the highly educated people in the state. For instance, an April 2023 Business Standard article noted that the unemployment rate in AP stood at 6.15 percent in September-December 2022, however, the unemployment rate among those who completed at least a graduation was a mammoth 35.1 percent.[ii] That is, over 73 percent of the unemployed people in AP were graduates.
About 4.07 crore people in AP are set to vote on May 13.[iii] Among them are approximately 8.13 lakh voters in the 18-19 years age group, i.e., nearly 2% of the electorate. What’s the type of jobs scenario will these young hopefuls face in AP?
It’s to safeguard the hopes and futures of our educated youth that Congress propounded a new Right to Apprenticeship Act in our 2024 elections manifesto, providing 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 1 lakh a year and the program will impart skills, enhance employability, and provide full-time job opportunities for millions of youth across India and in AP. The Congress party is also determined to fill the nearly 30 lakh vacancies in sanctioned posts at various levels in the central government. The impetus will percolate down and vacancies in the panchayats and municipal bodies shall be filled according to a timetable agreed with state governments.
The Congress manifesto also reveals a program to 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. Moreover, a proposal exists for a one-time relief to applicants who were unable to write the qualifying public examinations during 1 April 2020 to 30 June 2021 due to the pandemic.
Students and unemployed educated youth in AP and the nation have an empathetic friend in the Congress party.
References
[i] https://www.thenewsminute.com/andhra-pradesh/unemployed-youth-andhra-hold-protests-demand-new-calendar-more-jobs-151041
[ii] https://www.business-standard.com/opinion/columns/the-employment-challenge-in-andhra-123041701073_1.html
[iii] https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/andhra-pradesh/2024/Apr/29/what-young-andhra-wants-from-the-new-government-2