NEW DELHI: TMC MP Derek O’Brien on Thursday attacked the Government during the discussion on the Union Budget, alleging that the Centre was ignoring ground realities such as poor rural internet access, rising unemployment, falling household savings and regional disparities in fund allocation.
He pointed out that “five out of 10 people living in rural India do not have proper access to the internet,” questioning how the government could expect MGNREGA workers to go online to mark attendance, use apps, link bank accounts and complete e-KYC formalities to receive wages.
Referring to the “middle class”, the TMC leader claimed that “four out of five Indians are earning less than Rs 171 a day” and that net household savings had fallen to their lowest level in 50 years.
On “unemployment,” he said that one in three youth were not in education, employment or training (NEET) and also one in four posts in the Government are vacant.
“I speak with confidence because in my state (West Bengal), we are not the best. We are the fifth lowest when it comes to jobless rate,” the TMC MP said. Only Rs 5 out of every Rs 100 allocated under the PM Internship Scheme was utilised, he added.