Dr. Singhvi said while the BJP Government is planning a multi-thousand Crores birthday bash, interestingly of course, all acronyms are focused on Modi Ji. So they are calling it Making of Developed India otherwise Modi Fest – Making of Developed India as MODI and also making all kinds of claims with advertorial blitz. On the one hand this is going on, on the other, India, the youth of India, the people of India are facing a grave future, a bleak future and today I am pegging on the issue of number of jobs – Job Creation or all this touting of growth which is nothing but jobless growth. In fact, if you see the Government published figures and they are not my figures, they are not political party figure, they are Government published figure, you can only be reminded of the phrase ‘Much ado about nothing’.
In several public rallies Mr. Modi would tell voters each and every time that just give BJP a chance to improve their lives with new jobs and I will give you one quotation, you have many of them – in 2013-2014, one of them says “I can’t do much about those in their 50s but I want to transform the lives of those in their 20s who are seeking new employment”.
Similar quotes are there in the BJP election manifestos and specifically in writing promising 2 Crore jobs every year. This is the claim, this is the ‘दावा’, and this is the false promise. Actually on the ground, we are having a ‘Pink Slip Season’ – you know Pink Slips are supposed to signify termination of employment. Every other quarter alarming figures are published showing (a) little or no growth or abysmal growth and (b) pink slips season. Labour Bureau has published it. In eight Labour Intensive Sectors and they are most vital Sectors of our economy – Construction and FMCG etc. etc. The growth is 1.1%. In Numbers, it is 1,35,000 jobs. If this is ‘Achhe Din’, then obviously the Government’s definition of ‘Achhe Din’ is ‘Achhe Din without Jobs’, ‘Achhe Din Jobs Bin’. I want to give you very recent history – not old history – within memory – recent past – recent published figures of jobs Creation in Lakhs in the last 5–6 years.
In 2009-10 Job creation was 8.7 lakhs. In 2010-11 9.29 lakhs. If you go from 2011-12, it is 3-1/2 Lakhs, 2013-14 it is 4.21 Lakhs, in 2014-15 it is 1.35 lakhs and in 2016-17 it is again 1.35 lakh – more or less static. Manufacturing, Construction, Trade, Transport; Hotels, Restaurants, IT, BPO – India was the toast of the globe in the BPO and IT Sectors. These are the figures from these 8-9 core sectors.
In this ‘Jumlebazi’ of this Government, I want to ask a few questions through the Media – what is it that they are celebrating? In the next few days, we are going to pan out in the country telling the disaster faced by each sector. It is important to be specific, it is important to nail the lies of the Government, it is important to be factual, it is important to pin point.
It is easy to avoid reality with ‘Jumlebazi’ but everyone is asking you what is it that they are celebrating? Are they celebrating Joblessness or they are celebrating Jobless Growth. What is the point of 6% growth or 7% growth, although it is only claimed and although it is only under the new series when admittedly the growth of Sectoral employment in the 9 most vital or the 8 most vital sectors of the country is only 1%. It is called Jobless Growth or growth without jobs. Is it this Joblessness or Jobless Growth or job losses or unemployment that the Government is celebrating?
The credibility of the Government, they are all linked – Bank Credit Growth – which is directly linked with the Business Growth which is directly linked to Employment Growth is at the lowest at 5.3% in 2016-17 and it is the lowest in last 63 years. The IIP data, which is the Industrial Data counting Industrial Growth – Production – all this ‘Make-in-India’ is mere all or the ‘Skill India’ is there – the IIP data shows flat trajectory or flat growth line of 0.6% till January 2017, close to a mere half a percent.
On the question of NIA investigation on receiving funds from across the border by Hurriyat, Dr. Singhvi said I want to Say two things – first and foremost – it is extremely serious, it is gross, brazen patent and deserves the strongest action in the shortest possible time and in the most effective manner. This undermines National Security directly and completely. But the second point is no less important and that is what we are seeing everyday-homilies, preachings, lectures, sermons being given by none less than High Government functionaries to which the entire country, in a bemused, amused manner, asks itself and the Nation asks itself that whom are you giving lectures to – you are the Government in Centre, you are the Government in J&K and yesterday I saw Minister of State giving a lecture on the subject. For the last 3 years both Central and State Governments individually and in coalition have done nothing and today you are lamenting.
And last third point I want to add is that this is serious no doubt but there is never and I repeat very clearly and categorically that there has never been such a rapid, accelerated tragic decline in governance in 36 months as there has been in last 36 months in J&K from any trajectory, any paradigm, be it casualties, violence, lack of governance, lack of decision making, lack of co-ordination, security scenario different departments and Ministers pulling in directions, no consistency of policy etc. etc. In 36 months we have seen the most rapid decline.
After all, we were there for ten years in Kashmir. We had external infiltrations but never before have we seen this kind of tragic state of affairs which makes the heart of every Indian bleed.
