Jaipur, Jul 23 (IANS): Congress General Secretary and former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot said that the Union Budget 2024-25, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament on Tuesday, mentioned the schemes of many states but did not make any announcement for Rajasthan's ERCP and Yamuna Link schemes, "which is a deception with the people of the state".

He said that the Finance Minister has tried to portray this budget as employment-oriented, which shows that the BJP government has accepted that unemployment has reached its peak.

Pilot also contended that unemployment will not be reduced by the steps shown in the budget because consumption is not increasing in the lower and lower middle class due to inflation. The government will have to insist on increasing government capital expenditure in any case, he added.

Pilot said that the Finance Minister remained silent in the budget on filling up about 10 lakh vacant posts under the Central government, which proves that the government only wants to push the unemployed towards the private sector. He said that it is beyond comprehension that the Finance Minister did not say even a single word in the budget speech on MNREGA, the lifeline of the rural economy.

He said that by including the internship scheme and apprenticeship scheme of the Congress manifesto in the budget, the BJP government has accepted that the policies of the Congress have always been in the interest of the country. He said that this budget will neither reduce inflation, nor generate large amounts of employment, nor will Rajasthan get any special scheme.