India's unemployment rate surges to 1-year high of 8.3%; TMC slams Centre

Kolkata: Coming down heavily on the Centre for a sharp rise in the country's unemployment, Trinamool Congress has questioned for how long will Prime Minister Narendra Modi continue to push the lives of lakhs into darkness and gloom.

Trinamool Congress tweeted: "In PM Modi's NEW INDIA, the unemployment rate SURGES to 8.3% in August. With no intent to ensure a bright future for our youth, @BJP4India continues to indulge in propaganda, pushing lakhs of lives into darkness & gloom. THANK YOU. @narendramodi Ji!"

India's unemployment rate increased to a one-year high of 8.3 per cent in August as employment sequentially fell by 2 million to 394.6 million, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) data said.

The unemployment rate was at 6.8 per cent and the employment was 397 million in July.

The unemployment rate in rural India rose from 6.1 per cent in July to 7.7 per cent in August. More importantly, the employment rate fell from 37.6 per cent to 37.3 per cent.

According to the CMIE data, the unemployment rate during August was the highest in Haryana at 37.3 per cent followed by Jammu and Kashmir at 32.8 per cent, Rajasthan at 31.4 per cent, Jharkhand at 17.3 per cent and Tripura at 16.3 per cent.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said over and again that while the Centre has miserably failed on the financial front resulting in unemployment shooting while in Bengal, it has gone down by 40%.

New economic hubs are coming up in different districts in the state and the coal block at Deocha Pachami, construction of the proposed Tajpur Port and the industrial hub at Jungle Sundari Karmanagari at Raghunathpur in Purulia will give fresh employment to thousands of people.

Many companies have shown keen interest to set up firms in Silicon Valley in New Town.

She had said Bengal had become the new destination for investment.