Union minister Giriraj Singh promises 5 crore jobs by next year, defends Modi's 'pakoda' selling remark

Union Minister State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Giriraj Singh on Saturday made a very big claim saying his government will generate 5 lakh new jobs in the country by next one year.

Tough the number he claimed was five times more than Modi government’s promise of giving 1 crore jobs per year.

Modi’s minister, however, said by saying 5 crore jobs he does not mean only government sector jobs but the employment opportunities being created by the Mudra (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) loan scheme.

Defending Prime Minister Modi’s “Pakora selling is also a job” remark, Singh said some people were mocking these initiatives but it’s PM Modi’s dream to create jobs through self-employment.

Also Read | Congress workers hold ‘pakoda protest’ in MP against PM Modi's remark on job creation  

Reacting to the recent banking scam of worth over Rs 11,000 crore in PNB bank, he said the bankers should think why loans recovery is good in MSMEs despite a higher rate of interest.

"Bankers should think about why the level of NPAs is so less in the MSME sector. They should provide need-based finance to MSMEs where even after a high rate of interest, the recovery is very good," Singh said.

Giriraj Singh, who is also an accused in Bihar land grab case, was speaking at the 'National SC-ST Hub State' conclave organised by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in Nagpur.