BJP, Congress take swipe at BJD over 'sponsored' unemployment survey report 

The Odisha units of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress on Monday cornered the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) over the report stating a decrease in the unemployment rate in the State. 

As per the answer tabled in Rajya Sabha in December 2022, the unemployment rate of Odisha was 5.3 percent. The figure was calculated after a survey was conducted among people above 15 years old.  As per that report, the nation’s rate of unemployment was 4.2 percent. 

At the same time, the report published by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) on January 1, 2023, claimed the State’s rate of unemployment was 0.9 percent by December 2022. 

The saffron party has raised questions over the discrepancies in the two figures. State BJP general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan termed the latest report as a sponsored one. 

"In Odisha, there is no industrialisation and no scope for employment. The State government is also not making any schemes to create job opportunities.  It can be said, the employment problem in the State is in an alarming situation. This is why youths of Odisha are going to other states, searching for jobs,” said Harichandan. 

“It (CMIE report) is purely a sponsored one. All most all the reports of different organisations continued to show that Odisha’s rate of unemployment is high. How the employment has suddenly increased today that the organisation has claimed that the unemployment problem has ended. Naveen Babu should give up the habit of blindfolding Odisha people by getting produced false survey reports before elections,” he added.

Hitting out at the BJD government, Congress leader Santosh Singh Saluja said, “The organistaion that conducted the survey has little credibility. The Odisha government has got it done through the organisation. We are strongly condemning this.”

“If the figures of 40 employment exchanges are put together, the total number of unemployed youths who have registered with the centres would be 8,80,075. They are still waiting for a job,” said Saluja. 

Responding to the allegations, BJD leader Chinmay Sahoo said, “It is the job of the Opposition party to censure the government. But the fact is that the unemployment rate has decreased in the State. In the coming days, the figures of other organisations will also agree with the recent figure.”

(Reported by Harihara Chand from Bhubaneswar, OTV)