3 years of Modi govt: Amit Shah defends Centre on unemployment, says not possible to give jobs to all

BJP president Amit Shah said on Friday that the Narendra Modi government had tackled the problem of unemployment by promoting self-employment. However, Shah admitted that it is not possible to provide jobs to all in a country of 125 crore people. 

Taking a swipe at opposition parties over their charge of a "jobless" growth, Shah said that had they paid attention to such figures during the UPA government, they would not have suffered defeat in successive elections. 

At present, there was no accurate mechanism to estimate unemployment figures, Shah said.

"We have tried to give new perspective to employment as it is not possible to provide employment to everyone in a country of 125 crore people. We are promoting self-employment and the government has made eight crore people self-employed," he told reporters.

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Shah was addressing the media on the third anniversary of the Modi government.

The BJP chief said the Modi government had laid the foundation of a "new India" as he described it as a decisive and transparent dispensation which had achieved what past governments could not since Independence.

"In 2014, the BJP replaced a government suffering from policy paralysis and gave people a decisive and transparent government," Shah said.

The BJP-led government has finished politics of casteism, dynasty and appeasement and has raised the self-confidence and pride of the country on global level, he said.

Attacking the opposition, Shah said they were working to corner the government while it was working to develop the country.

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On Kashmir, Shah said the government was monitoring the situation very closely. "We will control and find a solution soon," he added.

Highlighting the Modi government's flagship schemes, Shah said in last three years scores of villages were provided electricity which had been in dark since Independence. Toilets have been constructed in more than 4.5 crore houses, 'jan dhan' accounts opened with zero balance, gas connections provided in two crore households, he said.

Speaking at length about the government's schemes, Shah gave the slogan of "sath hai, vishwas hai, ho raha vikas hai" (with us, with trust, working for development).

Sharing the social initiatives of the government, the BJP president said the government had given constitutional status to the OBC commission for empowerment of backward classes and distributed various assistive devices for disabled persons across the country.

Speaking on the country's economy, Shah said India was today the fastest growing economy in the world. On the demand of ex-servicemen for 'one rank, one pension' (OROP), he said, "The demand for 'one rank, one pension' fell on deaf ears (for years), but we fulfilled that promise."

Referring to the surgical strike on terror launchpads across the border with Pakistan, the BJP president said it showed the "political will" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On demonetisation, Shah said it was a "courageous step" aimed at curbing black money.

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