Campaign launched nationally on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday; Andaman leaders call for time-bound recruitment and ask what happens to degrees when educated youth remain without employment
The campaign was launched nationally on September 17, coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday. Indian Youth Congress leaders have demanded that sanctioned but vacant government posts be filled through a time-bound recruitment process. National reports on the campaign say the Youth Congress has cited 50,05,850 sanctioned government posts as vacant and has called for recruitment against these vacancies.
At the Andaman press conference, H. Yusuf, State General Secretary of the Youth Congress, said the campaign was intended to put the question of employment before the Prime Minister and the government.
‘What about our degree?’
Opening the briefing, Yusuf thanked members of the media for attending and explained that the Andaman Youth Congress was joining the nationwide campaign.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday, Yusuf extended his birthday wishes to the Prime Minister before turning to questions concerning employment.
He referred to the BJP government's earlier employment commitments and asked what had happened to the promise of creating two crore jobs annually. He also questioned when vacant government positions would be filled.
According to Yusuf, educated young people were completing their degrees but continuing to search for employment. He framed the central question of the campaign as:
“Meri degree ka kya?” — What about my degree?
He said the campaign seeks to highlight the concerns of young people and families who invest significant amounts of money and years of effort in education with the expectation that a degree will lead to employment.
Diksha Dulhar: ‘What happens after the degree?’
Speaking after Yusuf, Diksha Dulhar, State President, Youth Congress Andaman, expanded on the campaign's employment-related concerns.
She questioned how young people could be expected to celebrate or participate in birthday-related activities when, according to her, many families continue to face financial pressure and young people struggle to find employment.
Dulhar referred to the financial sacrifices made by families to educate their children, including, as she described it, cutting household expenses and sometimes selling assets to fund education.
She questioned why government recruitment was not taking place when sanctioned posts remained vacant.
The campaign material displayed during the press conference cited 50,05,850 sanctioned government posts as still vacant. The figure is also being cited nationally by the Indian Youth Congress in its campaign.
The poster displayed at the Andaman briefing additionally carried the figure 34,25,00,000 applicants seeking jobs. That figure was presented as part of the campaign material; the Youth Congress's broader national campaign messaging similarly focuses on the gap between educated job-seekers and available employment opportunities.
Recruitment delays and examination concerns
Dulhar also raised concerns about recruitment and competitive examinations.
She referred to young people spending years preparing for examinations and said that even after completing their education, candidates can face uncertainty over recruitment.
Among the issues she raised were examination-related problems, recruitment delays and the absence of clear timelines for appointments.
The broader national campaign has called for a time-bound recruitment calendar, including defined timelines for recruitment examinations and appointments against vacant posts.
The issue has also been raised by Youth Congress units in other parts of the country as the campaign expands nationally. In Chandigarh, for example, the organisation similarly called for timely recruitment, transparent processes and clarity regarding examination results and appointments.
One-year deadline announced
A major part of the Andaman briefing was the Youth Congress's call for action within the next year.
Dulhar said the organisation was giving the government a period of one year, until the next Prime Minister's birthday, to fill vacant government posts meant for recruitment.
She said the Youth Congress would continue raising the issue during this period and warned that failure to act would lead to further public mobilisation.
According to national reporting, the Indian Youth Congress has similarly announced a year-long campaign around the issue and has said it will organise job marches and degree marches across the country. The organisation has also announced further protest action if its demands are not addressed within the stated period.
Call to Andaman's youth
Dulhar also appealed to young people in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to participate in the campaign.
She said the campaign has an online platform through which young people can submit petitions and access information presented by the campaign concerning vacant positions and employment.
The national campaign includes an online component through which the Youth Congress is seeking public participation.
The Andaman leaders urged young people to raise their concerns regarding employment and recruitment and to participate in the campaign.
A political campaign centred on employment
The “Meri Degree Ka Kya?” campaign is a political campaign of the Indian Youth Congress and its statements at the press conference represent the organisation's position.
The central issue raised by the campaign is the relationship between education, government recruitment and employment opportunities: young people obtain degrees and qualifications, while the organisation argues that vacancies in government departments remain unfilled.
The campaign's national launch has received coverage from multiple news organisations, with the principal demand being the filling of sanctioned vacant government positions through time-bound recruitment.
For the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the discussion also brings the broader question of employment opportunities for local youth into focus, particularly in a territory where government employment has traditionally been an important part of the formal employment landscape.
The Youth Congress's message from the press conference can be summed up in the campaign's central question:
“Meri Degree Ka Kya?”
The question, as raised by the speakers, is not limited to obtaining a degree but concerns what opportunities follow after years of education, examination preparation and financial investment by families.
Key Points from the Press Conference
Editorial Note
Dweep Tulika has reported the statements made during the Youth Congress Andaman press conference. Figures, allegations and political claims attributed to the speakers or campaign material have been identified as such and should not be read as independently verified findings by Dweep Tulika.