For Bikaner youth, Modi govt's goodwill trumps unemployment concerns

Sitting outside a coaching institute here, several groups of 18 to 25-year-old job aspirants are busy discussing notes from the previous class.

The discussion turns into a political debate at the mention of Lok Sabha elections and unemployment -- a dominant theme of the electoral discourse.

There are around 14,000 registered unemployed people in Bikaner alone, according to data provided by the National Career Service (NCS).

However, many young job seekers feel Prime Minister Narendra Modi should return to power and employment generation should not be the only measure of the BJP government's performance.

Sukhdev Singh (18) shrugs at the mention of lack of jobs in India and goes on to explain vociferously why the country needs Modi.

"So what if there are no jobs? How much can a single man do? And Modi ji has still done a lot for the country. It's not like there are no jobs, those who study hard do find jobs," Singh, who is preparing for the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) exams, told PTI.

According to the NCS, about 6 lakh people in Rajasthan were jobless till March 2019, with only 27,920 job vacancies.

Singh, who will vote the first time on May 6 from Kolayat near Bikaner, said, "Today, the country is globally recognised and the last five years have seen more development than 70 years under the Congress."