Over 1 crore jobs lost in 2018, claims Congress citing think-tank report

The Congress on Sunday targeted the BJP government at the Centre over "growing employment" in India and cited a think-tank report to claim that over one crore jobs were lost last year.

Referring to a report by the think-tank, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari alleged that the BJP-led NDA government failed to fulfil its promise of providing two crore jobs every year and the country lost one crore jobs instead.

"During the 2014 elections, Modi had promised 'Acche Din' (good days), which included (providing) two crore jobs every year. In five years, this sums up to 10 crore (jobs).

"But recently, a reputed think-tank, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), released a report on employment. It states that more than one crore people lost their jobs in just one year (2018)," he said.

The Congress leader said according to the report, in December 2017, 40.79 crore people were employed. In 2018, it was reduced to 39.07 crore.

"Which means more than one crore people lost their jobs. It is astonishing that more than 80 per cent of those unemployed were women and more than 90 per cent belonged to rural India," Tewari said citing the report.

He also claimed that India's unemployment rate has increased to 7.4 per cent in December, 2018.

"This is the highest in a decade. Daily wage labourers and small businesses suffered the most. These are the same who were affected by demonetisation," the Congress leader said.

Tewari also alleged that the Narendra Modi government has failed to understand that distress in society and smooth functioning of economy do not go hand in hand.