CM Khattar accuses Opposition of misleading people over Haryana’s ‘unemployment’ 

Hitting out at the Opposition parties, the Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has dismissed their accusations over ‘high unemployment’, saying unemployment in Haryana is only between 5-6%.

Hitting out at the Opposition parties, the Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has dismissed their accusations over ‘high unemployment’, saying unemployment in Haryana is only between 5-6%.

Mr. Lal said that political parties, including the principal opposition party, the Congress invariably cites the figures of a private agency for unemployment, which, he said, are not correct. He said the private organisation’s figures for unemployment in Haryana vary from 24%, sometimes 34%, and at times 37%. “These figures cannot be trusted. The data of each family is there in the state’s ‘Parivar Pehchan Patra’ and those who are unemployed have given self-declaration in this data. According to this, there is about 5-6%t unemployment in the State. To reduce the unemployment rate, continuous employment opportunities are being provided by the state government,” he said, speaking at an event here.

Mr. Lal said for the last eight and a half years, the BJP-led government is working for the welfare of the general public with the spirit of public service. “The State government has brought many radical changes to solve the problems of the people and to reduce corruption. The Parivar Pehchan Patra is a permanent protection of poor people, through which the public is getting all the facilities of various government schemes by sitting at home.

On the issue of restroing Old Pension Scheme, Mr. Lal said that it was the Congress that had discontinued the old pension scheme and now they are raising slogans to implement it. “The Central government has already formed a committee regarding the New Pension Scheme. After the decision of the committee, it will be considered further,” he said. Responding to the Opposition’s demands of repeatedly releasing ‘white paper’ on debt situation etc., the Chief Minister said, “The white paper is never brought on own work. It is presented against other parties, against their methodology. Our budget document is our white paper.”

On the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal - the focal point of a water-sharing dispute between Haryana and Punjab, Mr. Lal said that water conservation is the need of the hour. “We are moving towards managing the available water and ensuring its reuse by recycling it. We are not getting our share of water due to SYL. The Supreme Court has already decided in favor of Haryana. Now also, the Supreme Court has to decide how SYL will be constructed and who will do it,” he added.