Without jobs, future of youth bleak: Haryana Congress chief

Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Rao Narender Singh has lambasted the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state over unemployment, frequent paper leaks, recruitment scams and the rising cost of education.

Addressing a gathering at Narnaul in Mahendragarh district under the “Chhatron Ki Goonj” campaign, the Congress leader said India was the youngest nation in the world, but rampant unemployment and lack of opportunities were pushing the country’s youth towards a bleak future.

“Education is no longer a means of fulfilling the dreams of young people. It has now become an expensive and stressful struggle. Across the country, students and their parents are investing their life's savings in preparing for competitive exams, only to face paper leaks and recruitment scams,” he said, adding that the recent NEET fiasco had played havoc with the future of lakhs of students.

“Numerous instances of paper leaks, even in the national-level exams, over the past several years have shattered youngsters’ faith in the system,” he said, questioning how the future of youth could be secure if prestigious exams were not foolproof.

He accused the government of weakening the public education system and promoting private institutions.

Expressing concern over the situation in Haryana, he said government schools were struggling with a severe shortage of teachers and basic infrastructure, due to which parents were forced to send their children to private schools and pay hefty fees.

Despite obtaining educational qualifications, young people were unable to find employment, he said. “Lakhs of educated youths in Haryana are jobless as employment opportunities continue to shrink,” he said, pointing out that in 2024, over 46,000 graduates and postgraduates in Haryana had applied for sanitation workers’ posts, reflecting the alarming state of unemployment.

He said “Chhatron Ki Goonj” would become the voice of every household and resonate across the state.

Meanwhile, District Congress president Satbir Jhukiya has raised questions over the functioning of the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC), alleging a lack of transparency in recruitment. He said Haryana’s youth were being deprived of job opportunities while preference was being given to outsiders.