Bhubaneswar: Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Friday blamed "the faulty policies" of Jawaharlal Nehru for people not being skilled in the country.
"The policies of Nehru were wrong. These could not make us skilled. The policies only made us educated," Singh told media persons here.
The Minister was in the capital city to inaugurate a national conference on "Youth and Employment: The role of skill India Initiative".
He said only 2.5 per cent people were skilled in the country while in other developed countries about 96 per cent people were skilled.
He, however, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government was streamlining all the policies for development of skills among the country's youth.
"We are creating one Australia every year in terms of population. So, the youth need to be skilled. The Modi government is giving importance to the skill development sector," said the Minister.
The statement of the Union Minister was quickly rebutted by Congress party.
"The statement of the Minister proves that BJP indulges in cheap politics. It shows their narrow-mindedness," said Leader of Opposition in the Odisha assembly Narasingh Mishra.