Gen-Z CJP protest: Why India's youth anger has become PM Modi's biggest challenge - BBC News

India has the biggest youth population in the world but few are able to find good jobs despite rising education levels.

Image source, Hindustan TimesImage caption, Exam leaks and a shortage of opportunities have sparked some of the biggest youth protests in years in India

Dharmendra Pradhan was forced to resign as India's education minister last month after angry Gen-Z protesters took to the streets over repeated entrance exam paper leaks.

His departure has allowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tide over an immediate crisis, but keeping youth discontent in check may well remain a long-term challenge for his government.

While Modi quickly announced fast-track courts , externalto try those accused in the leaks and appointed tech billionaire Nandan Nilekani to lead a government effort to reform the examination system, a more concerted effort may be needed to quell the anxieties of the young, who say they are losing patience with a system that's unable to offer them better livelihood opportunities or education that leads to productive employment.

"The labour market has become brutal in the last 10 years. Non-farm jobs have not been growing and real wages have stagnated," Santosh Mehrotra, a veteran economist and author of a new book India Out of Work: Rethinking India's Growth Story, told the BBC.