Unemployment allowance to youth not temporary: Mulayam

Lucknow, May 18 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today asserted the Unemployment Allowance scheme was not temporary in nature and would continue beyond the present fiscal.

Addressing the state Legislative Assembly, Mr Yadav said reports that the allowance would not continue beyond the present financial year were ''unfounded''.

He said the scheme would continue in the years to come as Unemployment Allowance was one of the promises his government had made when it came to power in August 2003.

During his Budget speech in the previous session, Mr Yadav had announced a Rs 500 per month allowance to unemployed post-graduate and graduate youth registered with the employment exchange till December 2005. The cut off date was later extended on the request of ruling Samajwadi Party leaders.

In the brief session of the state legislature which ended today, Mr Yadav's government had introduced a supplementary budget to the tune of Rs 1629.51 crore.

Out of the amount, Rs 400 crore have been earmarked for the Unemployment Allowance.

A couple of years ago, Mr Yadav had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking funds for the scheme. However, the PM wrote back mantaining the Centre had no provisions to disburse funds to states under the head.

Hitting back at the Opposition for criticising the UP government on various counts, the CM claimd UP had received investments in private sector to the tune of over Rs 40,000 crore. The sugar sector alone had received investments of over Rs 5,000 crore, he added.

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