Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stated that dynastic opposition parties are so estranged from the youth that they are unable to comprehend the changes that are occurring.
The Prime Minister discussed a number of topics in an exclusive interview, such as his future plan, the importance of infrastructure, the BJP’s chances in the current Lok Sabha elections, and foreign policy.
In response to the opposition’s accusations on unemployment, the prime minister stated that his administration has opened up a lot of new opportunities for job creation and that data from other sources refutes the arguments made by his detractors.
Pointing to all the infrastructure projects carried out by his government, the PM said in Hindi, “The first thing to know is that so much work cannot be done without manpower. Just spending money does not mean a road is built or work on the electrification of the railways is carried out. You need manpower for that. Which means employment opportunities are created. I can’t see any issue or truth in the opposition’s talk of unemployment.”
“I believe dynastic parties can’t understand the changes that are taking place among the youth. Before 2014, there were only a few hundred startups and now there are 1.25 lakh such companies. Each startup employs many bright youngsters. There are 100 unicorns as well, which means business worth ₹ 8 lakh crore. And these are people in the age group of 20-25, they are our sons and daughters,” he added.
The PM mentioned that progress has also been made in the gaming industry and that young people in India between the ages of 20 and 22 will lead the way. India will be a leader in this area. He emphasised that the transition from an entertainment economy to a creative economy is another developing area, and he expressed his strong belief that Indian artists will secure a sizeable portion of the global market.
“Green jobs are also being created. Look at the aviation sector. There were 70 airports, now there are 150. My estimate is that the total number of aircraft in the country is 600-700 and an order has been placed for 1,000 new planes. Can anyone even imagine how many kinds of people will get employment? Therefore, this narrative is being peddled by people in politics who only know how things were 30 years ago and are talking about the same things,” he said.
Prime Minister Modi used data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) to support his statements, claiming it demonstrated a halving of unemployment.
“The PLFS data also states that 6 crore new jobs have been generated in six to seven years. The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation has also said the same thing. I ran a big campaign for government jobs as well, and these people (the opposition) keep shouting about employment,” he said.
PM Modi remarked, “5 crore person-years of employment have been generated every year for the past 10 years,” citing a report published by the SKOCH group. And to express this, they have employed 22 parameters. Research supports this. This is not limited to statistics alone; it is also visible on the ground.”
Aiming for a historic third consecutive term in office, the prime minister has set an ambitious goal for the BJP to win 370 Lok Sabha seats and the NDA to win over 400. The election is still ongoing, with four phases finished and the fifth set to take place on Monday.
