The unemployment rate in Haryana is over just six per cent, the Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar informed the state Assembly on Tuesday while slamming the Congress for quoting “unreliable” figures from a body to target his Government.
Congress MLA Chiranjeev Rao on Tuesday questioned the ruling BJP-JJP government on the issue of unemployment during Question Hour of the ongoing Budget session of Haryana Vidhan Sabha. However, the Opposition’s attack was refuted by the Chief Minister. He said that the unemployment rate in Haryana stands at 6.46 per cent against the Opposition’s claim of 29.4 per cent.
Rao had asked “if the unemployment rate has increased in Haryana during the past eight years and, if so, the steps taken by the government to bring it down”.
Referring to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) figures tabled in the House as part of the reply to his question, the Congress MLA from Rewari said: “PLFS data has been quoted and if we go by that, according to this unemployment rate in Haryana is 9.3 per cent.” “But if we take CMIE (Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy) data, the unemployment rate in Haryana is 29.4 per cent,” he added.
While replying to Rao’s assertions, Khattar said that “in the last eight years of his tenure as chief minister, Haryana government had given more than one lakh government jobs in comparison to 86,000 jobs given during Congress’s 10-year regime.”
Khattar added that “the rate of unemployment in the state has decreased in comparison to what it was during the tenure of the previous government.”
“Currently, the number of applicants registered with various employment exchanges in February 2023 is 6.46 lakh, while in December 2014 the number was 7.86 lakh. The government has made tireless efforts to provide employment opportunities to the… youth. Along with government jobs, employment opportunities have been made available to the youth in the private sector as well,” Khattar said.
Talking about the PLFS, Khattar added: “This survey is conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation from time to time. According to the PLFS report, the unemployment rate in Haryana was 8.6 per cent in 2017-18, 9.2 per cent in 2018-19, 6.5 per cent in 2019-20, and 6.3 per cent in 2020-21.”
The Chief Minister further said, “The Reserve Bank of India also releases such data every year. According to the RBI, the unemployment rate is 8.1 percent. However, there is no fixed formula for these figures, so the figures of different agencies also differ.”
Citing figures about the jobs given during his tenure as chief minister in the last eight years in comparison with the Congress tenure, Khattar said: “86,000 government jobs were given in 10 years from 2005-2014, while during our tenure more than one lakh jobs have been given in eight years. Besides this, under the Saksham Yuva Yojana also, postgraduate, graduate, and 12th-pass students are given Rs 3,000, Rs 1,500, and Rs 900 per month, respectively, for 100 hours of work. So far 1.75 lakh youth have taken advantage of this scheme.”
“Not only this, under the Haryana Skill Development Mission, employment opportunities have also been made available to more than 1 lakh youth by skill development. After 2015, employment has been provided to 12.64 lakh youth in the private sector as well.”
Talking about the CMIE’s figures, Khattar said: “CMIE issues unemployment rate after conducting the sample survey of only 5,000 population out of the total of 1.80 crore population. CMIE is a private organization and there is no reliability and credibility for such data released by any private organization. The CEO of this institution is also a member of the election manifesto of the Congress party. In the year 2017, this agency had shown the unemployment rate of Haryana at 2 per cent. Sometimes it claims it to be 34 per cent and sometimes 26 per cent, which has no credibility.”
“Data of every person is linked with the Parivar Pehchan Patra and on the basis of self-verified data, the number of unemployed in the state is 10.46 lakh. However, there is a section of the society which is not unemployed but actually underemployed,” Khattar said.
‘Special girdawari to assess crop damage due to rains’
Khattar on Tuesday said that ‘special girdawari’ of crops damaged due to recent rain and hailstorm in the state will be done. He urged the farmers to ensure the timely uploading of claims of crop damages on the ‘e-fasal kshatipoorti’ portal so that timely compensation could be given to them. “We are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our farmer brethren. I urge them to ensure the update of their crop damage on the portal so that after proper verification, the compensation can be paid to them,” Khattar said in the state assembly.
Cong MLA raises issue of illegal posters, Minister reminds him of BJY
A Congress MLA in Haryana Assembly on Tuesday raised the issue of illegal posters coming up on government properties and was reminded by state Home Minister Anil Vij of the opposition party’s conduct during its Bharat Jodo Yatra. Raising the issue during the Question Hour in the Assembly, Rohtak MLA B Batra sought to know “whether it is a fact that posters and flexes are being illegally put up at government buildings in the state and the action was taken by the government to remove these”. While asking a supplementary question, he alleged that posters have been put up even on elevated roads, pillars and bridges. “You don’t have the intent to keep cities clean and beautiful,” Batra told the government. On this, Home Minister Anil Vij told the Congress member, “When Congress party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra passed through Haryana (earlier this year), tell me one road which you had left, you dirtied all buildings.”
Vidhan Sabha passes one bill today
Haryana School Education (Amendment) Bill, 2023 has been passed to amend the Haryana School Education Act, 1995 in the budget session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha session.
