How Successful Has CM Nitish Kumar Been in Curbing Unemployment in Bihar
Read our story to find out what data says about Kumar's performance in the state in dealing with unemployment.
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As the public prepares for the upcoming assembly in Bihar later this year, the stage has been set for different political parties to clash on different issues that have been plaguing the state.
This directly affects Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar, who is serving as the chief minister for the ninth time and has had an arguably unprecedented stronghold on the state.
The Quint's WebQoof has come up with a series to highlight how the state has fared under the leadership of Kumar (with different alliances). This fourth part will focus on how successful the chief minister has in curbing unemployment from 2017-2024.
How Did Kumar Perform in Dealing With Unemployment in Bihar?
As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data available on the official website of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the unemployment rate (15 years and above age group) in 2017-18 in Bihar was 7 percent.
This increased to 9.8 percent in 2018-19. Since then, the state of Bihar has seen a decline in the unemployment rate (except 2021-22) in the subsequent years.
While 2019-20 saw 5.1, the rate further dropped to 4.6 percent in 2020-21. It should be noted that the 2020 and 2021 were heavily impacted due to the issues related to COVID-19 pandemic. During the 2020-21 period, the unemployment rate for all India was 4.2 percent.
Political Turmoil: The Forging and Breaking of Alliances
While Kumar was sworn-in as the chief minister after the 2020 assembly elections with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the JDU leader later broke the alliance in 2022.
He, once again, forged an alliance with the RJD and the Congress party. This also set the foundation stone of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) that pitched against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The PLFS annual report for 2023-24 showed that the unemployment rate was around 3 percent. The all India rate for the same period was 3.2 percent.
(Data sourced: Year, Region, Gender, Age Group and State wise Unemployment Rate according to usual status [Dataset]. Dataful.)
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