Delhi: ‘Be job creators, not seekers’, Atishi exhorts OP Jindal university students
Addressing the International Leadership Forum-2025 at OP Jindal Global University, Delhi Assembly Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Atishi issued a clarion call to India’s youth: “Stop chasing jobs, start creating them.”
Speaking on the theme ‘The evolving landscape of higher education in India’, Atishi warned students that India’s demographic dividend — home to one in every five young people globally — could either become a launchpad for economic growth or a “tinderbox” triggering mass unemployment and social unrest.
“Every month till 2035, nearly 10 lakh Indians will turn 18. If our higher education and job creation strategies don’t keep pace, this opportunity could turn into a national crisis,” she said.
Citing the Business Blasters programme launched under the Delhi Government, Atishi highlighted how school students were given Rs 2,000 in seed capital and came up with over 50,000 startup ideas annually.
“These students are redefining what success looks like — some have gone on to earn lakhs and employ dozens. It shows that entrepreneurship can start from anywhere,”
she said.
She noted that traditional paths such as government jobs no longer guaranteed security, citing data that only 7.2 lakh out of 22 crore applicants secured government jobs between 2014 and 2022 — just 0.32 per cent. “Many spend a decade preparing for exams with almost no return,” she said.
Atishi also raised concern over employability gaps in higher education. According to the 2023-24 Economic Survey, over 51 per cent of Indian graduates are deemed unemployable. Among engineering graduates, NASSCOM reports
that only 40 per cent are fit for jobs.
“Despite having degrees, our youth remain jobless. This is a failure of the system, not the students,” she added.
Drawing on personal anecdotes and data, Atishi urged a shift away from “risk-averse” thinking that pushed bright students toward “safe” government jobs.
“Indians have built businesses across the globe — often with no language skills, no support, no capital. Why can’t we foster that same spirit here?”
The Business Blasters initiative, she said, had already produced inspiring stories. One orphaned student, Abhishek, ran an education startup earning Rs 1.5 lakh per month. Another managed a courier firm with 50 employees.
A girl from northeast Delhi started a gluten-free snack business that provided part-time work to 21 local women. “These are not exceptions. They are proof of what’s possible,” she said.
Similar youth-led ventures were now emerging in Punjab, she noted, with students building solar-powered farm equipment under startups such as Solar Sharks.
Concluding her address, Atishi appealed to students to think beyond conventional career paths.
“If India is to become a developed economy, it won’t be politicians alone who make it happen. All of us must take responsibility,” she said.
“The motivation to succeed must come from the desire to make a difference, to create impact.”
Atishi’s remarks struck a chord with students and educators alike, resonating as a call for both systemic reform and personal leadership in shaping India’s economic future.
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