AISA to launch month-long 'Gen Z Rising' campaign from Aug 7
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AISA to Launch Month-Long 'Gen Z Rising' Campaign From August 7New Delhi: The All India Students' Association (AISA) on Thursday announced that it will launch a month-long nationwide campaign, titled 'Gen Z Rising', from August 7 to take the message of the recent Jantar Mantar protest to students and youth across the country.
In a statement, the Left-wing student organisation said the peaceful 'Gen Z Rising' campaign will be led by its All India president, Neha Bora, and will demand reforms in the education sector following the removal of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union Education Minister in the wake of the NEET UG 2026 irregularities.
The campaign will begin in Ranchi on August 7, after which Neha Bora will travel across Jharkhand, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana and other states to interact with students and youth.
"Taking forward the message of Jantar Mantar and the spirit of Young India through their peaceful protests, AISA is launching 'Gen Z Rising' to celebrate, continue and consolidate the student movement in different parts of the country," the organisation said.
Neha Bora will be joined by fellow hunger strikers and movement leaders, including Danish Ali, Manish, Aameen Amitoj and others.
According to AISA, the campaign aims to intensify its demands for the abolition of the National Testing Agency (NTA), repeal of the National Education Policy (NEP), and improved access to quality education and employment opportunities for young people.
As per the first phase of the campaign schedule, Neha Bora will address events in Kolkata on August 11, Jaipur on August 14, Hyderabad on August 16 and 17, Vijayawada on August 18, Chennai on August 20, Calicut on August 22, Bengaluru on August 23, Mumbai on August 25, Pune on August 26, Nagpur on August 27 and Bhubaneswar on August 29.
The organisation said the schedule for Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Haryana will be announced later.
Citing data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), AISA claimed that of India's 378 million people in the 15-29 age group, around 128 million would work if employment were available, but only 83 million are currently employed.
It said this translates into an unemployment rate of about 35 per cent. The organisation further claimed that urban unemployment among those aged 20-24 has risen from 45 per cent seven years ago to over 50 per cent, while unemployment among the 25-29 age group has increased from 15 per cent to more than 20 per cent.
AISA alleged that the country is facing an unprecedented unemployment crisis and claimed that an increasing number of jobs have become contractual. It also criticised the Labour Codes 2025, alleging that they weaken workers' rights.
With IANS inputs