Govt failed to solve unemployment problem, says AIADMK

The AIADMK on Monday said the central government failed to address the unemployment problem and also attacked it over demonetisation and implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Participating in the discussion on interim budget in Lok Sabha, Thambidurai, AIADMK leader and also the Deputy Speaker, said the Centre is yet to release more than Rs 10,000 crore in arrears to Tamil Nadu.

With the GST, money has been taken away from states, Thambidurai said and urged the government to release the arrears.

In cooperative federalism system, the Centre should respect the feelings of the states, he noted.

He wondered what has been achieved by demonetisation and said that "most small businesses" were completely affected.

Demonetisation completely destroyed the informal industry, he alleged.

In November 2016, the government had cancelled old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes as legal tenders.

"The government has failed to solve unemployment problem," Thambidurai said, adding that the MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) was not being implemented properly.

Dubbing the interim Budget as an "election manifesto", he said that if the government was sincere, then it would have announced various measures last year itself.

The interim Budget is a missed opportunity, he added.

While the intentions have been good for various initiatives, including Make In India, the government has not achieved many things, he said.

Thambidurai also flagged concerns about funds not being increased for MPLAD (Member of Parliament Local Area Development) despite requests.