Mayawati tears into Centre over increasing unemployment rate

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Thursday hit out at the Centre expressing dissatisfaction over the increasing unemployment rate in the country that has risen to a record 6.1 per cent, highest in last 45 years.

As Modi government enters its second consecutive term, unemployment remains one of the biggest challenges in the country.

Mayawati's Hindi tweet roughly translates to, "Just after the Lok Sabha elections, Labour Ministry released data confirming the bad news that the rate of unemployment in the country has gone up to 6.1 per cent, highest in the last 45 years. But there is no need for victims of poverty and unemployment to feel any remorse as the time has now passed and it is too late (to choose the government). It is no use crying over spilt milk."

BSP's supremo response comes after the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation released employment data, projecting the unemployment rate at 6.1 per cent in 2017-18. Notably, joblessness among the educated urban workforce was higher than the uneducated people.

Taking a jibe at the inefficiency of the Centre in dealing with the issue and the reduction in GDP growth, Mayawati wrote: "Also, there is no good news for the country as the rate of economic growth has come down to a low of 5.8 per cent. This rate of GDP growth is the result of a huge decline in agricultural and factory produce."

"How will welfare for the already suffering poor be facilitated?" she asked.

Earlier this month, Congress had also attacked the BJP-led government over issues of unemployment.

The Periodic Labour Force annual report placed the unemployment rate among men at 6.2 per cent and women at 5.7 per cent, combining both rural and urban areas and the overall rate at 6.1 per cent.

The report was prepared by agencies including the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Labour Bureau, Registrar General, and Census Commission.

However, government sources maintained comparing the recent jobs data with past data is faulty and foolish.