“Youth-led demonstrations in Ladakh, Dehradun, and other parts of India have recently focused on corruption, elitism, and censorship. Beyond Gen-Z’s wrath, there is a more serious issue: a severe job problem. The economic prospects for the generation born at the turn of the century are bleak. Their chances are jeopardized by a dwindling labor pool and advancements in artificial intelligence. If the demographic dividend (more people working than dependents) that governments like to tout as a guarantee of success is ignored, it may rapidly become a cause of unhappiness. AI, Trump’s tariffs, and automation are projected to exacerbate these difficulties,” Shekhar Bahuguna, a senior Congress politician, ex-AICC member, and current member of the Grand Old Party’s political affairs committee, said this during a free-flowing debate with journalists on Tuesday.
In India, for example, this may limit job growth opportunities, particularly in the IT services industry, which is a critical source of employment for young people. Governments must equip young people with new skills and create opportunities for meaningful employment. Education curriculum must shift away from an overemphasis on academics and towards entrepreneurship. Vocational training in trades and crafts might also be useful.
Corruption and nepotism, which have long existed in India, will also have to be addressed. Young people usually point to these as reasons of fury. Without addressing these problems, even new jobs risk being perceived as unequally allocated. Gen-Z protests the early warning signs of a hopeless generation. The ability of governments to offer their young people with a future worth believing in will be put to the test,” he remarked while relpying to queries of mediapersons.
He admitted that unemployment is a universal issue, but quickly added that joblessness in India has aggravated beyond proportion due to inaction of Modi-Yogi governments in the Centre and state. “Modi Govt has failed to handle unemployment issue in last 11 years of their tenure,” he claimed and expressed apprehensions over enemies of nation fuelling youth anger to undermine democracy and create unrest. He demanded from the government to immediately fill vacancies in all departments, putting a lid on incidents of paper leak and create jobs to subsidize rising anger among Gen Z.
He also expressed apprehension that imposition of US tarrifs and hike in H1B visa fee may futher aggravate unemployment problem, leading to forced closure of businesses exporting goods to US. Prior to signing off, he lamented that corruption has infested every government department like termites, which even BJP leaders are complaining to high command and speaking in public, but government unconcerned is paying a deaf ear to prospective Gen Z unrest, which may lead to disastrous repercussions in future.
