Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: Congress on Friday stated that though central government agencies have exposed Goa government over unemployment, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is not ready to accept and is trying to hoodwink people of the state to garner votes.
AICC Media Incharge for Goa Harshad Sharma on Friday addressed a press conference in Congress office and slammed BJP government for their repeated false promises over providing employment to youths.
GPCC General Secretary Vijay Bhike, North Goa President Virendra Shirodkar and NGP Vice President Pranav Parab were also present.
Harshad Sharma said that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is not ready to accept that unemployment exists in the state. “How will you get a solution or to address this issue, when he is not ready to accept it. Youths are suffering due to unemployment, however this insensitive government has failed to create jobs,” Sharma said.
In an apparent jibe at Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leader Sharma said that he always asks for chronology of events. “Hence, I would like to give him a sequence of how Goa is reeling under unemployment. In November 2022, NITI Ayog stated that Goa’s unemployment rate stood at 10.5 per cent, the third highest in the country. Then in September 2023 Sawant said that there is no unemployment in the state. He is not also accepting the report of NITI Ayog,” he said, adding 1.10 lakh youth are unemployed.
“In the same month CMIE stated that Goa’s unemployment rate stood at 13.7 per cent, when the national average was at 7 per cent. Then in October 2023, the Statistics Ministry revealed that Goa was second highest in unemployment. This exposed the lies of Sawant. Then in November 2023, RBI issued a statement that Goa is on top position in rural unemployment. These reports are not made by Congress, they are done by agencies of the central government. Are they telling lies, Sawant should come clear over this too and tell if the central government is spreading lies,” Sharma pointed out.
Sharma said that corruption in BJP is such that, party leaders are levelling allegations against their ministers.
Vijay Bhike said that for a very low number of government jobs, thousands of candidates apply, which proves that youths are unemployed.
“Even there is no guarantee that this government will provide jobs to those who answered exams. This government is famous for taking ‘suitcase’ and in the past was exposed for the ‘Job Scam,” he said.
Bhike said that the Congress party will raise the issue if BJP fails to provide the jobs to those who have answered exams.
“Don’t fall prey to the tactics of BJP, which always gives promises of jobs during elections and then put them in cold storage.
