Dhumal terms unemployment situation alarming

Una, May 19 (UNI) Terming the unemployment situation in the state alarming, former Himachal Pradesh chief minister P K Dhumal today said the present Congress Government had failed to address the problem during its last four years.

Addressing a public meeting at Nagnoli village in Santoshgarh constituency, he said while the number of educated unemployed was swelling the government has initiated no steps to provide employment to the youth of the state.

Referring to the process for the recruitment of Anganwari workers, he said this was a ploy to gain political mileage during the Hamirpur parliamentary by-polls elections.

Mr Dhumal said 4.25 lakh people had applied for 22,000 odd posts of Anganwari workers and helpers and the government later cancelled the entire recruitment process.

The whole process, which entailed a loss of over hundred thousand to the applicants, he said, adding that nepotism and corruption was at its peak in appointments in government jobs.

The former chief minister alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi had not given any special assistance to Himachal, while, on the other hand, the previous NDA Government had announced several financial assistances or packages.

Mr Dhumal, who is also the party's candidate for the Hamirpur parliamentary by-elections, said a sum of Rs 533 crore was sanctioned by the NDA government under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

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