Jobless dole helps Karnataka youth, but many find it insufficient Premium

Karnataka's Yuva Nidhi scheme provides financial assistance to unemployed youth, but beneficiaries find the allowance insufficient for living expenses.

Bengaluru

Prasanna Kumar, a resident of Davanagere in central Karnataka who completed his Commerce degree eight months ago and is still searching for a job, receives a ₹3,000 allowance as a beneficiary under the Yuva Nidhi scheme for the last four months. “While the money I am receiving may not be enough to sustain me for a month, it covers my travel expenses to Bengaluru, allowing me to attend job interviews at least twice a month,” he told The Hindu.

Launched on January 12, the birth anniversary of youth icon Swami Vivekananda, by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the Karnataka government’s Yuva Nidhi scheme is the fifth poll guarantee of the Congress for educated unemployed youth in the state.

Mr. Kumar’s is a lower middle class family. His parents run a grocery shop in Davanagere. He helps them at the shop, as he has been unable to find a suitable job.

“With this money at least my parents are no longer burdened with additional expenses on my account while I am unemployed. I am committed to securing a job this month. So far, I have attended five interviews. I was offered a position in one of them, but the salary was only ₹12,000, and the job was in Bengaluru, which made it impractical for me to accept given the living expenses in a city.”

Since the scheme was introduced until end of July, 1,20,604 beneficiaries had registered across Karnataka.

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