Out of work and outraged
A protest in India highlights deep-seated youth disillusionment driven by high unemployment rates and paper leaks in recruitment exams. Data shows that youth unemployment is significantly higher than the national average, particularly affecting educated urban women.
Why it matters
The failure to capitalize on India's 'demographic dividend' poses a significant long-term socio-economic risk to the nation's stability and growth.
It won’t be an exaggeration to say that the Jantar Mantar protest led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is by far the most formidable challenge this government has faced in its 12 years of rule. While it was the issue of repeated paper leaks which pushed the people over the brink, the disillusionment runs far deeper among young Indians. And there is a material basis for this disillusionment. Unfortunately, neither the defiant resignation letter of the Minister nor the rousing welcome he got in the Parliament after the resignation gives the impression that the government has heard the voice of its own youth with any humility.
The question, then, is: why did the agitation catch the imagination of the youth?
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