Multitudes of Medical Professionals, Technicians, and Business Management Experts Line Up for Public Sector Positions in Madhya Pradesh
In an effort to reframe the narrative about its workforce and youth demographic, the government of Madhya Pradesh has decided to label job-seekers as "Aakanshi Yuva," or "aspirational youth," rather than "unemployed" in official records. This shift in terminology reflects a focus on the positive potential and ambitions of young people, rather than the negative connotation of unemployment.
According to government records, 52,000 offer letters were issued to these aspirational youth in 2024. The gender-wise breakdown shows almost equal numbers of men and women applicants. The largest group of these job-seekers are graduates, numbering 8.3 lakh, followed by postgraduates at 2.38 lakh, and professionals, including doctors, engineers, and MBAs.
The decision to rebrand unemployed individuals as aspirational youth could potentially affect the unemployment statistics. By not counting these aspirational youth as unemployed, the officially reported unemployment numbers in Madhya Pradesh could be lower, influencing public perception and policy discourse on employment issues.
This move comes after a series of fluctuations in unemployment figures in Madhya Pradesh. Unemployment reached 31.55 lakh in 2019, but dropped to 26.18 lakh in 2024. However, in 2023, unemployment reached 33.13 lakh, and in 2021, it rose above 30 lakh. The number of unemployed in Madhya Pradesh has shown puzzling swings, with a reported decrease from 26.82 lakh in 2018 to 25.68 lakh by June 2025, despite the registration of over 62.75 lakh youth on the portal between 2018 and 2025.
Critics, such as Congress leader Bhupendra Gupta, argue that thousands of degree-holding professionals are still chasing scarce opportunities in Madhya Pradesh, and that the state's employment record remains under a cloud. He questioned the rebranding, stating that it does little to address the underlying issues of unemployment.
In 2021, a private company, Yashasvi, was awarded a contract to provide jobs to 25,000 youth, but only 4,433 were found genuine. The contract carried no penalty clause for failing to meet targets, raising questions about the company's accountability.
The caste-wise distribution shows that unemployment is the highest among the Other Backward Classes (OBC), with over 10 lakh applicants belonging to this category. This highlights the need for targeted policies to address the employment needs of these communities.
As of June 30, 2025, the MP Rojgar Portal has 25,68,321 applicants, seeking better employment opportunities. The government's shift in classification of these applicants as "Aakanshi Yuva" raises questions about the accuracy of unemployment statistics and the effectiveness of the government's employment policies.
[1] Times of India [2] The Indian Express [3] The Hindu [4] Deccan Herald [5] Business Standard
- The labelling of job-seekers as "Aakanshi Yuva" in Madhya Pradesh's official records could lead to a decrease in the reported unemployment numbers due to the exclusion of these individuals from the unemployed count.
- Despite the Madhya Pradesh government's decision to reclassify job-seekers as "Aakanshi Yuva," concerns about the effectiveness of employment policies and the accuracy of unemployment statistics persist, as shown by the caste-wise distribution of applicants on the MP Rojgar Portal.
