Indian students march in protest over ‘unemployment crisis’

Hundreds of jobless young people marched through the streets of the Indian capital on Thursday, demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government tackles the “rising unemployment crisis.” The protesters disputed the government’s claim that it has created millions of jobs since it came to power in 2014, with the economy growing by around seven percent annually. They marched from the 17th-century Red Fort to a park near India’s parliament building, AP said. The students said the authorities should immediately fill 2.4 million vacancies in government jobs to reduce unemployment. Media reports say the government is suppressing data showing the country’s unemployment rate has hit a 45-year high of 6.1 percent. The government says the figures are premature and official numbers will be announced in March.