Contesting the Jammu & Kashmir coalition government's claims of having created new avenues of employment during last five years of its rule, BJP National Executive Member & J&K Chief Spokesperson Dr. Jitendra Singh today cited latest official figures from the "Annual Employment and Unemployment Survey Report for 2012-13" released by Labour Bureau under Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, to show that unemployment in J&K had increased over the last few years and the current unemployment rate per 1000 persons in general category in J&K was 100 which accounted for 10 %,thus being the highest among the North Indian states followed by, per 1000 persons unemployment rate of Himachal Pradesh (69), Haryana (50), Punjab (48), Delhi (43) and UT Chandigarh (40).
What is more appalling, disclosed Dr. Jitendra Singh, is that in the Scheduled Castes (SC) category, J&K had second highest unemployment rate in North India. As per the survey, the unemployment rate per 1000 persons, in age group of 15 years and above, among SC population was highest in UT Chandigarh at 151, followed by J&K (132), Delhi (82), Punjab (55), Haryana (42) and Himachal Pradesh (36), he elaborated.According to Dr. Jitendra Singh, in the northern region, the maximum overall unemployment rate per 1000 persons was also highest in Jammu and Kashmir at 88, followed by Himachal Pradesh (63), Delhi (57), UT Chandigarh (56) and Punjab and Haryana (48). Not only this, he elaborated that unemployment among the youth in age group of 15 to 29 years in northern region was again highest in Jammu and Kashmir at 241, followed by HP (177), Delhi (159), UT Chandigarh (136), Punjab (135) and Haryana (123).Dr. Jitendra Singh said, the National Conference (NC)-Congress government is accountable to the people for lakhs and crores of rupees ostensibly spent on much hyped fancy employment schemes including “Sher-e-Kashmir Employment Scheme”. In an era of evidence based results and target oriented programmes, he said, the rising expenditure on new employment schemes with corresponding rise in the rate of unemployment is bound to raise questions regarding disbursement of state funds as also the huge Central grants received on the pretext of militancy. This could also invite accusations of embezzlement and misappropriation of public exchequer in a state which has already gained notoriety for corruption, he cautioned.