The Narendra Modi government has created seven crore "jobs", Bihar BJP president Nityanand Rai said on Thursday, a claim at least one economist took with a pinch of salt.
The Centre has been facing flak for "jobless growth". Statistics from the government's labour bureau show job growth plummeted in key sectors to its lowest levels in eight years in calendar years 2015 and 2016 at 1.55 lakh and 2.31 lakh, respectively.
The BJP on Friday took shelter behind the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, under which over seven crore would-be entrepreneurs have been given loans of about Rs 4 lakh crore. Launched in April 2015, the scheme gives small loans to entrepreneurs without collateral guarantee under three categories from Rs 50,000 to Rs 10 lakh.
In Bihar, 18,96,855 persons have availed of Rs 11378.25-crore Mudra loans till March 31 this year, according to official figures accessed by The Telegraph.
"Even if we assume that only one person has been employed through the ventures launched using Mudra loans, at least seven crore people have got employment in the past three years," Rai said at a news meet on Thursday.
"What is the locus standi of those who claim that our government in the centre has failed to create job opportunities in its first three years?" Rai asked, flanked by senior party colleagues Sushil Modi and Nand Kishore Yadav.
Shaibal Gupta, member secretary, Asian Development Research Institute, disagreed.
"When one speaks of employment one takes into account the job creation done in the organised sector," the economist said.
"A job in the organised sector brings several types of social security for the employee which the informal sector does not offer. It is tough to assess how many jobs in the organised sector were created using the Mudra loans."
The BJP also denied the state government's claim that the Prime Minister has not delivered on his pre-Assembly-poll promise of Rs 1.25 lakh crore for Bihar.
"While Rs 19,466 crore were provided to Bihar by the Centre in 2015-16, the corresponding figure for 2016-17 was 38,376 crore," Rai said.
"The Centre plans to give another Rs 36,996 crore to Bihar in 2017-18. This is in addition to what the state gets as its share in different taxes.... If one adds up these figures the state would get around Rs 95,000 crore from the Centre by the end of current fiscal."
Senior JDU leader and commercial taxes minister Bijendra Yadav dismissed the BJP's claim, asking: "Where is the fund?"
Rai also attacked the Bihar government for what he called failure "to utilise a single penny in as many as 182 schemes", and deteriorating law and order situation.
"According to the CAG report for 2015-16... Bihar government failed to utilise a single penny in as many as 182 schemes and surrendered funds. This shows its apathy towards the welfare of the people," Rai said.
Minister Bijendra Yadav refused to respond, saying the CAG report was under the consideration of the public accounts committee of the state legislature.
