India unemployment rate highest in 45 years: Report
Al JazeeraThe jobless rate stands at 6.1 percent, a local newspaper reports, citing an official survey withheld by the government. The unemployment rate in India has reached its highest in 45 years, according to a report in the Business Standard newspaper that cited an official survey withheld by the government. The survey, conducted by the National Sample Survey Office between July 2017 and June 2018, showed that the unemployment rate stood at 6.1 percent, higher than the previous high point reached in 1972-1973, local media reported. ‘A national disaster’ Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the main opposition Congress party who the polls show is closing in on Modi’s lead in the May election, said the job report showed “a national disaster”. The survey comes a month after the All India Manufacturers’ Organisation released a report that said 3.5 million jobs had been lost since 2016.