Budget 2024: Jairam Slams Government Budget, Calls It a Tactic to Admit Mass Unemployment Crisis

Congress on Tuesday slammed the government after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Budget saying after 10 years of denial on mentioning employment, the government seems to have finally come around to tacitly admitting that mass unemployment is a national crisis that requires urgent attention.

He said that it’s far too late, and as it turns out, far too little – the Budget speech is more focused on posturing than action.

While reacting on the Budget, in a series of tweets Congress general secretary and communications incharge Jairam Ramesh slammed the government saying, “After ten years of denial – where neither the non-biological PM nor his party’s Lok Sabha Elections Manifesto would even mention jobs – the Union Government seems to have finally come around to tacitly admitting that mass unemployment is a national crisis that requires urgent attention.”

“It’s far too late, and as it turns out, far too little – the Budget speech is more focused on posturing than action,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.

The Congress leader also targeted the government for copying the party’s manifesto with its internship programme said, “The Finance Minister has taken a leaf out of the INC’s Nyay Patra 2024, with its internship program clearly modelled on the INC’s proposed Apprenticeship Program that was called Pehli Naukri Pakki.”

“However, in their trademark style, the scheme has been designed to grab headlines, with arbitrary targets (1 crore internships) rather than a programmatic guarantee for all diploma holders and graduates, like the Indian National Congress had envisioned,” he said.

He also toom pot shot at the government over.its announcement for Andhra Pradesh and said, “In 2018, Chandrababu Naidu garu quit the NDA becuase of the non-biological PM’s failure to grant Andhra Pradesh Special Category Status. Six years after the drama, at a time when the Government is reliant on his MPs for support, all he has managed to get is “special financial support” for Amravati.”

“Why has it taken 10 years to announce that what was already committed to in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 will be implemented?” Ramesh asked.

He also said that it is highly disappointing that the Finance Minister’s announcement on Data and Statistics makes no mention of releasing funds for the decadal Population Census that was supposed to have taken place in 2021, but has still not been conducted.

“This is the first time since Independence that the Government has failed to conduct a Census on time,” the Congress leader said.

“The consequences on the State’s administrative capabilities are serious – one example being the 10-12 crore individuals who have been excluded from the ambit of the National Food Security Act. It also means that the Government will likely continue to avoid a Socio-Economic Caste Census, despite calls from its own NDA partners for the same,” Ramesh added.