Congress Leader Jairam Ramesh Criticizes PM Modi Over Unemployment in India
New Delhi, India – Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that India’s labor markets are suffering from mass unemployment and low-quality employment. He expressed concerns that these issues will be overlooked in the upcoming budget speech.
Ramesh took to his official X handle to highlight the dual tragedy of mass unemployment and low-quality employment in India. He accused the government of using Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data to paint a misleadingly positive picture of the economy.
Ramesh further criticized PM Modi, accusing him of using a strategy of denying, distracting, and distorting the reality of the unemployment crisis. He claimed that the government’s assertion of creating 80 million jobs does not align with the actual economic conditions, where private investment is weak and consumption growth is slow.
According to Ramesh, the government has used statistical manipulation to claim job creation, including counting unpaid household work done by women as employment. He pointed out that the share of salaried, formal employment has decreased, with more workers moving to low-productivity informal and agricultural jobs.
Ramesh also noted that during the Covid-19 pandemic, while crucial sectors like education saw job losses, a significant number of jobs were recorded in agriculture. He criticized this as a misrepresentation of the economic situation, stating that many workers who returned to farming during the pandemic were counted as new jobs.
In conclusion, Ramesh labeled this situation as the economic legacy of the current government.
