Unemployment seen highest since 1972-73 is only draft, not final report: Niti Aayog

New Delhi, Jan 31 (IANS) Reacting to media leakage of the National Sample Survey Office's periodic labour force survey (PLFS) showing India's unemployment rate at a 45-year high of 6.1 per cent in 2017-18, the Niti Aayog on Thursday described it as a draft report yet to be finalised and jobs data was still being processed on the basis of correct methodology

The delay in its release of the report led to two National Statistical Commission (NSC) members, including the acting chairman, resigning from their posts earlier this week alleging the government had withheld the release despite its approval by the NSC.

The release of a report supposedly showing that the country's unemployment rate is at its highest since 1972-73 can certainly be an embarassment for the Modi government in this period leading up to the general election.

Briefing reporters here, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said the new survey is being prepared with a different methodology and it would be incorrect to make comparison with the 2012-13 data when the survey was done once in 5 years and the sample sizes were smaller.

"It is not right to compare the two data sets, this data is not verified..t is not correct to use this report as final," Kumar said.

"The reason why the report has not been released is that it is not right to publish the report in an incomplete manner."

While the earlier survey was based on five-year figures, the new survey adopts the quarterly comparison to map the movement of jobs, the Vice Chairman said.

"The country could not have experienced a growth of 7 per cent if unemployment had been on the rise. The confusion is being created by those using a job report which has been leaked, and it has not been finalised," he added.