9.11 Lakh Educated, But Jobless? Youth Unemployment Rocks Odisha Assembly

Bhubaneswar: The Budget Session of the Odisha Assembly on Thursday witnessed a total pandemonium over rising unemployment in the State as the Opposition targeted the defiant treasury bench in the House.

During Question Hour today, BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition (LoP), Pradipta Naik targeted the Odisha government over unemployment issue and said that the government doesn’t seem serious about the issue even though around 9.11 lakh educated youths are unemployed in the State.

"The State government has so far given employment to only 26,000 youths as against 22.57 lakh applicants registered with the employment exchange offices. If the government can't give employment to the youths, what's the point of spending Rs 54-55 crore in the name of job fairs," said Naik.

The State even failed to spend the Central funds for the purpose and is now utilising the interest accruing on the money from the Centre to run the model school and several other programmes, alleged Naik.

Following an uproar over the matter in the Assembly with the ruling-BJD legislators strongly objecting to Naik’s statements, Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro issued a ruling and directed Naik to submit proof related to what he said in the Assembly.

There is no truth to in allegations made in the Assembly and the schools are running on State government funds, added Dash.