There is unrest among youth: Guv OP Kohli tells govt

Governor OP Kohli said the youth in the state was in distress due to lack of employment opportunities. He was addressing the convocation ceremony of Gujarat Technology University (GTU) in Gandhinagar on Friday. At the event, which was also attended by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, the governor also pointed fingers at the government's claims about developed rural regions.

"The state needs to understand the needs of the youth. There is much unrest due to lack of employment, and the situation is alarming and should be considered as 'khatre ki ghanti' (alarm bell). Our universities should not only impart education but also develop vocational curriculum so that our youth can get jobs soon after the completion of education," Kohli said.

It may be noted that Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti leader Hardik Patel had raised the issue of unemployment in Gujarat during the campaign for the recently held Assembly polls. The incumbent BJP government had rejected their claims and had presented statistics, claiming Gujarat topped in giving employment, including government jobs, to its youth.

The governor also pointed out that the rural areas of the state was under developed. "As some cities in the state are developed, we believe the entire state is developed. But this is not the real model of development. The state government's development agenda should reach the farthest corners, and those are rural areas. Rural development should be the government's priority." Kohli added.

Criticising the country's education system, Kohli said no Indian university was among the world's top 100 universities.

Speaking after the governor, Chudasama said, "The governor is a very senior leader and our guide. While the issues he highlighted here are his personal opinion, we take it as suggestions. We respect him and his suggestions and will try to address them."