New Delhi : As political parties vie over promises of employment in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, the Modi government is planning a last minute drive to amplify its reach out to the youth. After ‘Kaushal Mahotsav’ (skill carnival) in Varanasi, it is now doing the ground work to hold ‘rozgar melas’ (job fairs) in around 20 districts across the state.
According to sources, the Skill Development Ministry has set a target of ensuring employment to 90,000 to one lakh (5,000 per city) of youth trained under it, through the melas.
With time running out as the model code of conduct would come into effect as soon as the Election Commission announces the dates for the assembly elections, the melas were likely to begin mid-November. The elections are expected to be announced in December.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Skill Development Ministry and related organizations on Thursday. The idea was to ensure that there is outreach in each of the six zones of the state, according to sources. The proposed locations for the fairs include cities in places like Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi, Meerut, Noida, Ghaziabad, Mirzapur, Moradabad and Sahranpur.
The scramble for the votes of the youth is gaining momentum in UP, where polls are to be held early next year. In a bid to blunt the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) employment dole proposal, BSP supremo Mayawati has assured giving employment to the youth. The BJP, which had weaned the youth away from SP in Lok Sabha polls when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had targeted the section and first time voters, is holding ‘Yuva Sammelans’ (youth conferences) in all six zones.
Skill Development Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy, however, said the job fairs had nothing to do with elections. “We are creating India’s second-army—the country’s skill workforce, which is going to drive India’s growth in the next decade. This is one big step in the making of a new India, where the youth is empowered to earn a better livelihood for himself and his family… Lets not bring politics into it,” said Rudy.
He said the aim was to empower the youth by assessing the city youths’ skill sets acquired through working and learning over the years under the ministry programme. While recognizing the contribution made by the industry, he said the ministry also made placement offers to youth certified under the Skill India programme.
In Varanasi, 30 prominent companies had participated and 1,200 candidates skilled under the scheme were hired. Sources said the ministry was trying to rope in more companies in the forthcoming melas in UP. Placement offer letters were sent from companies like Aditya Birla Retail, TVS logistics, Tikona, Fusion Microfinance, Safexpres and TCI.
For the BJP, the youth has been a crucial segment of its political roadmap. “The youth is the backbone of the country. Its important that the party and government cater to them. The Prime Minister and government have focused on schemes like Digital India, Skill India and Start Up India,” said BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh.
Note: News shared for public awareness with reference from the information provided at online news portals.
