Jaipur: The results are out and Rajasthan has once again flunked the literacy test. A National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) report placed the state along with Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the worst performing states in the country.

The state has the second least literacy level in rural areas. Only 54% people are literate, just 1% more than Bihar which is at the bottom position. Literacy level among urban populace is also dismal with 73%. In urban literacy, Rajasthan and Bihar share the last two positions while UP with 70%, ranks the lowest in the country. 588 women illiterate per 1,000 in rural Raj, finds national survey

Unemployment rose by 7,000 to 2.52 million between November and January, according to official figures.

GUWAHATI: The Opposition parties on Monday criticized the 2013–14 State budget presented by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in the Assembly and slammed it as ‘anti–people’.

Reacting to the budget, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said, “It seems that the budget presented by the Chief Minister in the Assembly was prepared as per the directions of Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank (WB). Most of the schemes proposed in the budget are likely to be taken up with the help of loan money.”

Notwithstanding marginal growth in employment, there were as many as 28 million unemployed persons in the country in 2009-10, according to the Economic Survey 2012-13.

“Despite negligible employment growth, the unemployment rate as per the current daily status (CDS method) fell from 8.2 per cent in 2004-5 to 6.6 per cent in 2009-10,” the Survey tabled in the Lok Sabha today by Finance Minister P Chidambaram said.

The Uttar Pradesh government unveiled the Budget for 2013-14 in the state assembly on Tuesday, estimating a total expenditure of Rs 2.21 lakh crore. Mayawati's BSP, the main opposition party, staged a walkout alleging that more than 75% of last year's Budget remained unspent.

“The state will move ahead with this budget and the target of making UP ‘Uttam Pradesh’ (excellent state) will be achieved,”Akhilesh told reporters here. "Through this budget, we have made effort to provide maximum benefit to all sections of the society, including farmers, youths, Muslims, women and poor," he said. The Budget, presented by the chief minister Akhilesh Yadav who also hold the finance portfolio,showed a 9.8% increase from last year's size of R2 lakh crore.