Parliament: At the Question Hour session of the National Assembly yesterday, opposition MP Rinzin Jamtsho asked the government whether the employment figures it had provided were really true.

He said the labour minister had earlier told the Parliament that PDP government gave employment to 16,000 youth.

“But after studying the ground reality, it is hard to believe the figures,” said Rinzin Jamtsho.

Minister Ngeema Sangay Tshempo said a total of 16, 346 youth have been employed since the present government took over. “The figures are authentic and verifiable,” he added.

Rinzin Jamtsho said such an assurance from the minister was encouraging but added the ground reality was different.

Lyonpo Ngeema Sangay Tshempo said that when the government took over the country was plagued by four main problems – poverty, unemployment, national debt and Rupee shortage. The government included employment as one of the priorities in the 11th Plan.

“I have repeatedly maintained that the government is concerned about the unemployment issue,” said the Labour Minister and sought the opposition MP not to make false statements in the in the Parliament.

The Labour Minister said that the government had been able to employ 2,074 youth in government agencies, 2,009 in corporations, 5,773 in private enterprises and 103 in non-governmental organisations. About 1,310 youth have found employment overseas, while 4,281 have been employed through government schemes like the Guaranteed Employment Programme.

The labour minister said: “Until the economy improves, we will continue to send youth overseas for employment.”

The minister informed the House that the government was trying to help those who lost jobs due to closure of their companies.

MB Subba