12 men died in the past two weeks during a series of 10-kilometre races in humid conditions in Jharkhand state
\n New Delhi
\nIndia launched a probe Tuesday after 12 applicants for coveted government jobs died during physical tests for posts as excise officers, with commentators saying it illustrated the scale of the country\u2019s unemployment crisis.
\nThe young men were among 500,000 applicants vying for just 583 jobs as constables in the government excise department \u2014 more than 850 people for each post.
\nIndia is the fastest-growing major economy, and the fifth largest, but the world\u2019s most populous country has a jobs crisis to match.
\nIt has struggled to produce enough full-time and well-paying jobs for millions of people.
\nGovernment jobs, even the lowest ones, are highly sought after, with regular reports of candidates taking extreme measures to secure one.
\nIn past recruitment drives, people have run deep into debt to pay bribes to clinch jobs, or paid for leaked papers for highly competitive entrance exams.
\nIn this case, 12 men died in the past two weeks during a series of 10-kilometre (6.2 mile) races in humid conditions in India\u2019s eastern Jharkhand state.
\nJharkhand state chief minister Hemant Soren called the deaths \u201cheartbreaking\u201d, and ordered health experts to examine the \u201cuntimely death of these youth, so that such accidents do not happen in future\u201d.
\nState police chief Anurag Gupta confirmed the deaths and said investigations had begun. The recruitment drive has been paused.
\nJharkhand has some of India\u2019s highest unemployment and poverty rates.
\nThe Times of India newspaper quoted doctors as saying that many candidates had been hospitalised with low blood pressure due to dehydration.
\nThe paper, in its editorial on Tuesday, said the recruitment deaths were \u201ca symptom\u201d of the wider unemployment crisis.
\n\u201cThese aren\u2019t competitions,\u201d it read. \u201cThese are pitched battles for survival \u2014 for a stab at securing livelihoods for a working-age people.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
12 men died in the past two weeks during a series of 10-kilometre races in humid conditions in Jharkhand state New Delhi India launched a probe Tuesday after 12 applicants for coveted government jobs died during physical tests for posts as excise officers, with commentators saying it illustrated the scale of the country\u2019s unemployment crisis. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-429030","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n