Recently, the department of telecommunications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia posted on X that more than 10 lakhs of stolen mobiles have been recovered so far and more than 17 lakh mobiles have been disconnected. This presents a scenario of stealing businesses running in India. The stealing business has been on the rise with each passing day because the government has failed to provide employment opportunities to its citizens.
Bikram (name changed), a villager from eastern Uttar Pradesh, came to Delhi to find a job helping his family back home. He passed his graduation in political science. He distributed his hard copies of CVs to numerous companies and agencies for two months, but he did not receive any satisfactory results. No money and no job kind of situation is eating his mind day and night.
Despite many tall claims by the government, unemployment among youths remains the first and foremost reason for the mushrooming business of stealing and theft in India. The unemployment rate stood at 7.45% in June 2024, and India is a country of 1.4 billion people; therefore, a large number of educated youths are not getting working opportunities to engage themselves. The situation in rural areas is severe and grave because of a lack of education and industrialization.
Education is the major factor in getting employment, where India faces significant challenges. According to the National Statistical Office's (NSO) survey, India's literacy rate is 77.7%, and the dropout rate at various levels of education is still alarming. As per the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report, the dropout rate at the secondary level is 14.6%.
Stealing as a "skill"
We live in a society where parents struggle to educate their children. The government schools are pathetic, and private schools are costly. We are told and nurtured that if anyhow you get educated, our problems of survival will be solved, but it tends to become complex after formal education. If you graduate from the humanities, no one will offer you a job, which is a hard reality. Parents pressure becomes immense for two reasons: marriage and survival. The young students have already emptied their parents’ savings in getting education, and a lack of jobs opens an alternative means of survival, what we call “stealing.” Mobiles, cars, bikes, and jewellery are some of the common targets to begin with. It has become a survival skill for many in impoverished regions of India. Over time, the stealing skills have been honed and toned to suit the requirements of the demand.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, stealing or theft is the leading crime in India. The majority of individuals engaged in stealing business are the ones who are unemployed and carrying the burden of family to survive.
Government Data and Initiatives
Going through the NCRB data, the highest number of incidents have been reported from the states where unemployment rates are high and literacy rates are low.
In metros like Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata, where the cost of living is slightly higher, coupled with unemployment and very limited opportunities for unskilled workers, stealing professions are in demand, such as street theft, pickpocketing, and burglary.
Despite the several initiatives have been taken by the government to address the issue seems to be less effective because of corruption and systematic failures of the implementation. The cycle of poverty is so mature and strong that it needs to be rooted out from the accumulated efforts of the government and people of India in toto. Theft is a crime and illegal, still uneducated people finds shelter or making stealing as their profession of survival.
Conclusion
Even though stealing and theft are morally repugnant and unlawful, it has become an alternative means of survival for those who are marginalized in society and are driven into crime due to unemployment or illiteracy. This phenomenon highlights India's pressing need for extensive social reforms. The government can assist in ending the cycle of poverty and crime by establishing work opportunities and high-quality education, giving people a chance to live better, safer lives. Until then, people left behind by the nation's economic advancement will continue to make a miserable living by stealing.