But the government has insisted the jobs picture is healthy. Plus, some officials said, the gold standard of employment data in India is a nationwide survey conducted by the Ministry of Statistics. Until this week, those figures were a closely held secret.

Now that data has been leaked — and it’s bad.

According to a report first published in the Business Standard, an Indian financial newspaper, the nationwide unemployment rate rose to 6.1 percent in 2018, a 45-year high. It’s also nearly triple the jobless rate in 2012, the last time this type of survey was conducted.

The statistics on youth unemployment are even more striking. The jobless rate for young men in rural areas spiked to 17.7 percent since 2012. For young men in cities, it more than doubled, to 18.7 percent.

To say this is a political problem for the Modi government is an understatement. Modi was elected on promises of ushering in “achhe din” — good times — and rising unemployment is a major disadvantage in making his pitch for reelection...."