News18 Daybreak | Prime Minister Modi Hits Out at Leaked NSSO Report and Other Stories You Need to Watch Out For

What to Watch Out For

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hits out at leaked NSSO report showing highest unemployment rate in four decades

Facing allegations of a rising rate of unemployment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha session on Thursday hit out at the opposition claiming that the government had created crores of jobs in the formal and informal sectors.

The PM’s defence came days after a leaked National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) report showed that the rate of unemployment is at a 45-year high. Two members of the National Statistics Commission had even resigned over the it, alleging that the government had suppressed it.

Report highlights: The leaked NSSO report which appeared in The Business Standard on January 31, ahead of the Budget 2019 announcement, pegged the rate of unemployment at 6.1 percent in 2017-2018.

The first survey on unemployment since Modi took up office, the report noted that unemployment among youth was at a higher level compared to previous years and “much higher compared to that in the overall population”.

The labour force participation rate, which is the proportion of population working or seeking jobs, declined from 39.5 percent in 2011-12 to 36.9 percent in 2017-18.

And more among the educated were jobless in 2017-18 than they were in 2004-05.

The defence: The Prime Minister rejected the report’s findings in the Lok Sabha on Thursday and said that the informal sector contributes to 85-90 percent of jobs while the formal sector only provides 10-15 percent employments.

Backing these claims with data from provident fund and National Pension System (NPS), Income Tax filings and sale of vehicles among others, the PM said that there is no “correct system” of collecting job data at present and his government is trying to put one in place.

Opposition strikes: Opposition parties including the Congress have made the issue of unemployment the linchpin in their campaigns. In several rallies in the past week and over social media, the Congress chief accused the Modi government of not fulfilling his promise- before coming to power-of providing two crore jobs.

“The Fuhrer promised us 2 crore jobs a year. 5 years later, his leaked job-creation report card reveals a national disaster. Unemployment is at its highest in 45 years; 6.5 crore youth are jobless in 2017-18 alone. Time for NoMo2Go (Modi to go),” Gandhi wrote in a tweet soon after the NSSO report came out.

Other leaders in rival parties like Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav had also slammed the ruling party for presenting “fake data” employment saying that they had “ruined the country”.

While they argue, we march: Meanwhile, on Thursday thousands of students across the country took to the streets to demand better employment and educational opportunities.

The 4000-odd students from several universities including Delhi University, Allahabad University and Hyderabad University organized under the ‘Young India Adhikar March’ putting across several demands including the immediate filling up of vacancies in government jobs and the allocation of at least 10% of the GDP towards education.

Robert Vadra to be questioned by ED for third day, Karti Chidambaram also set to appear for another round of interrogation

The Enforcement Directorate will continue their interrogation of Robert Vadra and Karti Chidambaram today. On the second round of questioning on Thursday, the ED grilled Vadra for over nine hours over his alleged involvement in a money laundering case. The ED case against Vadra relates to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property located at 12, Bryanston Square worth 1.9 million GBP (British pounds), which is allegedly owned by him. Son of the former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Karti Chidambaram, was also questioned about his involvement in the INX Media case on Thursday and will be appearing before the agency again today.




BJP in Karnataka to reject Budget in Assembly after two days of disrupted proceedings, Congress to hold Legislature Meeting today

After staging protests in the past two days of the Karnataka Assembly’s Budget session, the BJP is now looking to get the Budget defeated today in protest against the JD(S)-Congress coalition government. The Assembly was adjourned on Wednesday and Thursday amid ruckus with the BJP shouting slogans against the HD Kumaraswamy-led government. Meanwhile, seven MLAs including the four ‘rebel’ Congress MLAs remained absent at yesterday’s session as well. The Congress party in the state had issued 3 show cause notices and party whips mandating the attendance of their MLAs. A Congress Legislature Party will now take place on Friday morning in which all the MLAs have been summoned. The party has also given a warning that those who don’t attend the meeting will face action under the Anti-Defection law.

Ten-member CBI team probing chit fund scam to reach Kolkata today only few days after Mamata-CBI showdown

The Central Bureau of Investigation has constituted a 10-member team to expedite chit fund investigation in Bengal. The team will be reaching Kolkata today and is expected to stay on till March. The investigations would be led by CBI joint director for Eastern Region, Pankaj Srivastava. The past few days saw a major showdown between the Mamata Banerjee-led government and the Centre after CBI officials attempted to search the residence of the Kolkata Commissioner Rajeev Kumar over his alleged role in the scam. What followed was a row between the CBI and the Kolkata police personnel who refused the officials entry, even detaining 15 officials. The West Bengal CM then began a three-day sit-in protest to ‘Save The Constitution’ condemning the Centre’s actions as undemocratic.

What You May Have Missed

RBI cuts lending rate to 6.25% in first review under Shaktikanta Das, limit of collateral-free loans to farmers increased by Rs 60,000

The Reserve Bank of India on Thursday cut benchmark interest rate by 0.25 per cent to 6.25 per cent on expectation of inflation staying within its target range, a move that may translate into lower monthly installments for home and other loans if the banks pass it on to consumers. A fall in repo rate is most likely to have an impact on both the existing and future borrowers with a decrease in the interest to be paid on a loan irrespective of whether it is a car loan, personal loan or home loan. In other policy changes the RBI brought out following a three-day meet, the limit of collateral-free agricultural loans was raised to Rs 1.6 lakh from the current Rs 1 lakh with a view to help small and marginal farmers.



Chief of Travancore Devaswom Board seeks explanation of Commissioner on 'change in stance' on Sabaraimala case

A row broke out in the Travancore Devaswom Board on Thursday as its chief sought an explanation from the Devaswom Commissioner for reversing its stand on the Supreme Court's verdict allowing women of all ages into the Sabarimala shrine. The Commissioner, N Vasu, however denied that the Board has changed its position in front of an SC bench, which was hearing several petitions including review petitions on the September verdict on Wednesday. Reports following Wednesday’s hearing had said that the Board had taken a U-turn in its stand on its stand on the verdict, telling the court that it was high time that a particular class not be discriminated on the grounds of "biological attributes".

AICC Gen Secy of UP East Priyanka Gandhi attends first strategy meeting

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday discussed the party's strategy for the Lok Sabha polls with AICC general secretaries and in-charges of various states at a meeting here that was attended by his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. This is Priyanka Gandhi’s first meeting as the All India Congress Committee’s General Secretary of UP East. Sources said the party's overall strategy for the Lok Sabha polls and booth-level organisation were discussed during the meet.

Agra Metro, Ayodhya Tourism among Yogi Govt's big push in Rs 4.79 Lakh Crore-budget ahead of polls

The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday announced the allocation of 247 crore for maintenance and construction of gaushalas in rural areas, and Rs 200 crore for Kanha Gaushala and Destitute Cattle Shelter Scheme in urban areas in its Rs 4.79 lakh crore budget for 2019-20. The Yogi Adityanath-led government also allocated Rs 150 crore for a metro rail connectivity in Varnasi, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj and Meerut and Rs 101 crore for the development of tourist places in Ayodhya. Opposition party leader, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, described the budget as a “deception” and slammed the Yogi Adityanath government for a “lack of vision, development and social security”. Yadav also criticised the government for what he called was a “meagre” allocation for the ‘gau mata’ project.

On Reel

Delhi is all set to get its latest and much-talked about tourist attraction which comprises the replicas of seven iconic edifices from across the world. But there's one catch, these structures were made from scraps including parts of a typewriter, spare car parts, cycle rims and drums!



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