Panaji: The Aam Aadmi Party’s Youth Wing has lashed out at Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant for his recent statement claiming that 20% of Goan youth are unwilling to work. AAP leaders termed the remark “insensitive” and accused the Chief Minister of mocking the struggles of thousands of jobless Goan youngsters.
AAP Youth Wing President Rohan Naik demanded that the Chief Minister back his statement with data and reveal the criteria on which such a claim was made. He questioned, “What kind of jobs is the government offering to qualified youth, and where is the list of those who allegedly do not want to work?” Naik accused the government of misleading people instead of acknowledging the growing frustration among educated, unemployed youth.
“Parents are frustrated after spending lakhs on their children’s education only to see them sitting unemployed. The CM should stop making a mockery of their pain,” Naik said, urging the government to publish details of actual jobs created and filled under its employment schemes.
Echoing this sentiment, AAP Youth Vice President Salman Khan said that the BJP government has failed both in providing jobs and promoting entrepreneurship among Goan youth. “The government neither generated employment opportunities nor encouraged self-employment. It has completely ignored the aspirations of young Goans,” Khan stated.
AAP Youth Leader Neash Steve Coutinho questioned the logic behind the CM’s remark, asking, “If Goan youth are not willing to work, then what explains the massive response during the DHS nurse recruitment drive?”
Adding to the criticism, another youth leader, Chetan Kamat, pointed out that many qualified youth are forced to accept lower-paying or contractual jobs. “Engineering graduates and educated youth expect fair employment matching their qualifications. Mopa airport, which was built on the promise of jobs for locals, now employs mostly outsiders, while Goans are given only menial positions,” Kamat remarked.
The youth leaders accused the BJP government of lacking seriousness in tackling unemployment and demanded transparency over job allocations made through government employment fairs.
The AAP Youth Wing called on the government to introduce clear, accountable policies that ensure Goan youth are provided with meaningful opportunities rather than being sidelined in their own state.
Present at the press conference were Youth Wing members Shiva Naik, Chetan Kamat, Rohan Naik, Neash Steve Coutinho, and Salman Khan.
