In Madhya Pradesh, the weight of unemployment is heaviest among Other Backward Classes (OBCs), who form the largest group of job-seekers in the state.
Of the over 25 lakh youth registered on the state's employment portal, more than 10.46 lakh belong to the OBC category, by far the highest among all social groups. This includes 5.73 lakh men and 4.72 lakh women.
The startling data, revealed in response to Assembly questions raised by Congress MLAs Atif Aqeel and Sanjay Uikey, paints a bleak picture of youth employment in Madhya Pradesh.
Despite the government's claim of a marginal 0.56% drop in the number of unemployed, equivalent to 48,624 fewer registrations compared to seven months ago.
The government now refers to the unemployed as "Aspiring Youth," a cosmetic change in nomenclature that offers little solace to those struggling to find work.
The total number of such 'aspiring' individuals is a staggering 25,68,321. Even more telling is the category-wise breakdown: 4.69 lakh Scheduled Castes (SC), 4.18 lakh Scheduled Tribes (ST), and 6.34 lakh from the General category, with OBC youth topping the list.
Gender-wise, the burden is equally shared - 13.91 lakh men and 11.76 lakh women make up this massive queue of unfulfilled aspirations.
While Sagar district tops the list of unemployed youth, Pandhurna finds itself at the bottom. In 21 districts, more than 50,000 unemployed youth are registered, while in 34 districts, the number is below that mark.
