India News | BJP Govt Promised Acche Din, but Reports Indicate 7-9 Cr People Unemployed: Mevani

New Delhi, Jan 30 (PTI) The BJP had come into power promising 'acche din' but reports indicate that seven to nine crore people are unemployed in the country, rights activist and Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani said on Sunday.

Speaking during an online press briefing on unemployment in the country, he along with other activists urged the Centre to take steps to tackle the issue, more so as there is a pandemic.

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Those at the briefing also alleged that unemployment has risen under the BJP government.

Statistics speak about the status of unemployment in the country, Mevani said.

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"Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised 'acche din' (good days) and came into power. According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, four to five crore had lost employment, but during the pandemic, 12 crore people lost jobs and nearly three to four crore people haven't got any jobs, while the remaining have managed to get something. The numbers indicate that seven to nine crore people are unemployed," he said.

Other speakers on the panel spoke about how marginalised sections are the worst sufferers.

Rudrani Chhetri, an LGBTI activist, said that transwomen face a lot of issues in getting employment as society has a certain perception towards them.

"A transwoman, who is qualified, had gone for a job interview but the security guard asked her for sexual favours for allowing her to enter the office. She came back in tears," she said.

“There are many women, who despite being qualified are not getting the dignity they deserve. There are transwomen I know who have burned their degrees after facing dejection in job interviews and being forced to return to being a sex worker," she said.

Chhetri said that even though the third gender has been recognised in the country, the awareness about such people is ''almost at the level of prep in school''. Student activist Aftab Alam condemned the recent police action against job aspirants protesting the alleged irregularities in a recruitment exam by Railways.

"Is youth only used as vote bank? When students study in DU (Delhi University), everyone knows that he is studying in a big university. It is shameful when he returns to village because the government is not even able to ensure jobs for them,” he said.

Alam said that the governments and the system are responsible for it.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)