U'khand's doles for unemployed youths down to Rs 500-1,000

Under pressure on the financial front, the Uttarakhnad government has reduced its unemployment doles to Rs 500-1,000 from the promised Rs 750-1,500 by the Congress party during this year's Assembly elections in Uttarakhand.
Under the new decision taken by the cabinet headed by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, the government has made three broad categories for such allowances – Rs 500 to inter-mediates, Rs 750 to graduates and Rs 1,000 to post-graduates. According to sources, the government has put several riders for availing the unemployment allowance -- the beneficiaries must be in the age group between 25 and 35 years and should have passed the 12th standard examination. Besides, the youths must have completed 4 years of registration with the unemployment exch-ange with effect from Nov 9, 2012. In addition to this, the family income of such persons should be less than Rs 1 lakh per annum.

However, the sources added since the government is facing a severe financial crunch, it will not be possible to provide doles to the jobless youths in the next few months. The distribution of such doles among the youths will only be done after a thorough study and a separate budgetary provision the sources said.
After taking a vote on account for Rs 7018.65 crore in March for four months, Bahuguna had asked the finance ministry to present the budget in the month of May itself in order to get a clear picture on finance of the hill state which he has already described as “financially sick”. Bahuguna has already gone on record saying the treasury is empty due to heavy burden of non-plan amounting to Rs 14000 crore out of the total state budget of Rs 21000-22000 crore.

In its election manifesto, the Congress had promised to give an unemployment allowance of Rs 750-1500 to unemployed youths depending upon their educational qualification. Besides unemployment doles, another worry before the govenrment is to bring the fiscal and revenue deficit within the limits of Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act. “The budget document is ready and the doles can wait for few more months,” said a government official.