'Unemployment now worse than it was during COVID': Congress slams Modi govt

New Delhi, Jan 11 (PTI) The Congress on Thursday alleged that the country's "jobs famine" has worsened in the last ten years of Modi government, and accused the prime minister of miserably failing to fulfil his promise of creating two crore jobs every year.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said India's youth deserve growth that delivers them good quality jobs not joblessness and 'pakora' shops.

According to data from Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, unemployment for youth aged 25-29 was the highest in almost four years, at 15.5 percent in December 2023, he said.

"This means that unemployment now is worse than it was during the COVID-19 pandemic," he alleged.

For youth aged 20-24, he said the unemployment rate hit a peak of 45.5 percent.

Even for those between ages 30 and 34, the unemployment rate is at a three-year high, he claimed.

"The crisis is especially bad in rural areas, and more and more families are turning to MGNREGA as there are no other jobs available," he said.

"It is absolutely evident that the Prime Minister has failed most miserably to fulfil his promise of creating 2 crore jobs per year," Ramesh said. PTI