Unemployment rate is rising in India, admits government

The opposition’s allegations aside, the rate of unemployment is actually rising in the country, especially among the backward classes, the government admitted in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

In reply to a question during Question Hour, minister of state for planning Rao Inderjit Singh said that overall unemployment was rising, but the rate was highest among the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

While the overall unemployment rate is 5%, it is 5.2% for OBCs, the minister said.

The unemployment rate was 4.9% in 2013, 4.7% in 2012 and 3.8% in 2011.

For the Scheduled Castes, the unemployment rate was 3.1% in 2011, which has now risen to 5%.