Modi govt’s schemes are mere ‘slogans’: Yechury

Panaji: Various schemes launched by the Narendra Modi government were merely “monthly slogans” as they have failed to fetch anything concrete for the country, even as job opportunities were shrinking, the CPI(M) said today.

“These big announcements and schemes like ‘Make In India’, ‘Start Up India’ and others are just monthly slogans that don’t fetch anything.

“There is nothing for common people. These schemes won’t be realistic till purchasing power of people increases,” CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury today said at a press conference here.

Claiming that there is a major economic slowdown in the country, he said, “While several schemes are being announced, job opportunities in the country are declining… There are different factors responsible for this decline.”

The decline in industrial production is at 2.2 per cent, manufacturing units are facing decline by 13.3 per cent and agriculture stands at negative two per cent growth, he claimed.

“All these mean employment (generation) has remained stagnant and job opportunities are getting narrower,” Yechury said, adding that despite crumbling oil prices in the international market, the benefit of this phenomenon does not reach the common people.

The excise duty collected by the Centre is not shared with the states and prices of petrol and diesel have increased by three and four times, respectively, than the actual cost, he said.