As reporters fanned out across the country to talk to ordinary Indians ahead of the election, one concern was mentioned consistently: joblessness. According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, the unemployment rate in March was 7.6%. In April, economists polled by the Reuters news wire said that joblessness would be the next Indian government’s biggest challenge.
On the face of it, the lack of jobs seems odd, given that the Indian economy is expanding at 6.5% a year. Why aren’t jobs being generated despite such growth? Economists Ravi Srivastava and Deepa Sinha dissect the challenge with peace worker and writer Harsh Mander.
This is part of a discussion series initiated by Karwan e Mohabbat on the state of the Indian republic. The series is called Yeh Daag Daag Ujala, in tribute to the iconic poem by Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
