Congress holds focus group talks with job aspirants across states

The Congress party has held 16 focus group discussions with students and job aspirants since June as part of its 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' initiative, The Hindu reports. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi has addressed public meetings in Kota, Dehradun and Prayagraj, and will hold a session for women aspirants in Pune on August 22. The discussions, which are recorded and analysed, aim to build a catalogue of grievances faced by young Indians preparing for competitive exams and government jobs.

Participants in the closed-door sessions describe years of preparation, high coaching costs, paper leaks and delayed recruitments, often leaving them unemployed, the report says. One aspirant from Patna cleared a Bihar Staff Selection Commission exam in 2018 but became ineligible due to age limits by the time results were declared in 2022. Another candidate from Uttarakhand cleared an ITBP sub-inspector written exam in 2012 but was never called for a follow-up medical test before the recruitment was indefinitely postponed.

A senior party leader said the initiative is an extension of the 2022-23 Bharat Jodo Yatra and reflects Rahul Gandhi's observation that young Indians are increasingly focused on just five professions. The party plans to expand the exercise to other cities, mainly in the Hindi-speaking belt.