Soon after the Modi cabinet 2.0 took charge, the labour ministry confirmed the leaked report that projected India’s unemployment rate had touched a 45-year high.
The official data released by the government came a day after Narendra Modi took oath as Prime Minister for the second term on May 30. The data showed 7.8 percent of all employable urban youth as being jobless, while that of rural was at 5.3 percent.
The pre-election report carried by the Business Standard that was based on the leaked official report National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) showed the unemployment rate stood at 6.1 percent in 2017-18. The ‘leaked report’ was refuted earlier by the Narendra Modi led-BJP government, fearing its negative impact on the Lok Sabha Election 2019.
The government faced severe backlash for withholding the data, with the opposition parties alleging that it was a planned effort to hide its non-performance. Attacking the previous government, the Congress had earlier termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the “single biggest destroyer of jobs.”
The date poses a huge challenge to the Modi government which has just returned for the second term on the promises that it will strengthen economic and employment growth.