The unemployment rate in India has reached its highest in 45 years, according to a report in the Business Standard newspaper that cited an official survey withheld by the government.
The news comes only months before Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces a tough race in India’s general elections.
A political controversy over the survey erupted after the acting chairman and another member of the body that reviewed the jobs data resigned, saying there had been a delay in its scheduled December release and alleging interference by other state agencies.
The survey, conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) between July 2017 and June 2018, showed that unemployment rate stood at 6.1 percent, the highest since 1972-73, local media reported.