Jairam Ramesh Dismisses Government's Employment Claims as 'Bogus'

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh refutes central government's assertions of creating eight crore jobs between 2021 and 2024. Criticizing the government's data manipulation tactics, he highlights the decline in job quality and rise in informal employment, particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Congress General Secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, on Monday dismissed the central government's claims of generating eight crore employment opportunities between 2021 and 2024, and adding 6.2 crore net subscribers to the EPFO database. Ramesh criticized the administration's alleged manipulation of data, dubbing their employment creation claims as completely 'bogus.'

Sharing a statement on X, Ramesh censured the government's alleged desperation to present a favorable economic record amidst recent scandals. According to Ramesh, much of the claimed employment growth stems from redefining unpaid household work as employment, which he argues does not equate to new job creation. He further emphasized the decline in the quality of jobs, highlighting a shift towards low-productivity informal and agricultural employment.

Ramesh pointed out that during the COVID-19 pandemic, KLEMS data showed an increase in employment primarily capturing the return of factory workers, teachers, miners, and other professionals to low-productivity agricultural jobs. He also criticized the government's reliance on inflated population estimates and the inclusion of existing workers in EPFO data as new employment. He concluded by attributing the current employment crisis to the government's economic policies and favoritism towards large business groups.

(With inputs from agencies.)