Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D.K. Shivakumar walked alongside Rahul Gandhi, MP, in the Bharat Jodo Yatra wearing a bright red T-shirt with a message highlighting the problem of unemployment.
‘Youth need jobs, not empty promises’, was the message on his T-shirt. On October 12, Congress leaders resumed the yatra at Challakere town in Chitradurga district.
“It is our responsibility to be accountable for the promises we make to our youth, who repose their faith in us believing that we would take care of their future and utilise their potential. Youth need jobs, not empty promises,” Mr Shivakumar said in a veiled attack on the BJP government’s failure to tame rising unemployment in Karnataka.
One of the objectives of the yatra is to flag the issue of unemployment in India.
Various government records, including Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) and National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) reports, have shown ‘startling unemployment figures in Karnataka’. According to the Congress MLA, “The figures are particularly stark in rural Karnataka where 35% of youth with diploma certification are unemployed while nearly a quarter of post-graduates are without jobs. In urban areas, 13.5% diploma holders are unemployed.”
Mr. Shivakumar urged unemployed youth to register their grievances on the website www.udyogasrishti.in, which is an initiative of Karnataka Youth Congress that is focusing on creating solutions to the problem of unemployment in the State.
He said that the website is part of a larger initiative to map the education qualification and aspirations of Karnataka youth so that Congress, after coming to power, can provide desired jobs and employment to the youth in the State.
“Youth can share their current employment status, name, age, and other qualifications while filling the form on a website, which will help us in getting them better jobs,” Mr. Shivakumar said.
