BJP cites official data on jobs to counter Congress claim

New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS) The BJP has hit back at the Congress over its claim that the Narendra Modi government has not created enough jobs in the country. The ruling party has come out with a fact sheet for “setting the record straight on job creation” which states that during the Congress-led UPA regime, employment growth was stagnant with only 2.9 crore jobs being created over a decade. By contrast, the NDA has generated 17.9 crore jobs, including 4.6 crore in 2023-24 alone.

The BJP has cited NSSO data to point out that while unemployment under the UPA rose to 4.7 per cent, the unemployment rate has decreased under the Modi Government from 5.3 per cent in 2017-18 to 3.2 per cent in 2023-24.

It further stated that the rural unemployment rate under the Modi Government has declined, based on the annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data.

It further stated that the female labour force participation rate (LFPR) rose from 23.3 per cent in 2017-18 to 37 per cent in 2022-23. This has been enabled by 89.8 lakh Lakhpati Didis and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) which provided women, especially in rural areas, with the means to achieve an annual household income of at least Rs 1 lakh, the BJP has stated.

Highlighting the startup boom in the country, the BJP said that in 2013, the country had only 452 recognized startups, but by 2024, this number had surged to 1.59 lakh, directly generating 17.2 lakh jobs.

In November 2024 alone, 14.63 lakh new members were added to EPFO (November 2024) reflecting the surge in job formalisation, the BJP said.

It has also underscored the internship programme introduced in the Budget for 2024-25 which the party said has resulted in 14 crore youth being trained under Skill India and now under PM Internship Scheme 2025, besides, 1 crore students will be trained and given internship over five years, engaging India’s top 500 companies.

For every Rs 1 crore spent on infrastructure, 200-250 man-years of employment are generated across unskilled, semi-skilled, and skilled sectors, the BJP factsheet states.

–IANS

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