Dehradun: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday said large-scale investments in the hills of Uttarakhand are creating new employment opportunities for the state’s youths who earlier had to migrate to big cities in search of livelihood.
Addressing a Rozgar Mela via video conferencing, he said it is an ‘Amrit Kaal’ of limitless possibilities for the country’s youth.
The BJP governments at the Centre as well as in the state are trying to ensure that every youth gets a job in accordance with his aptitude and ability, he said.
The prime minister recalled the saying, “Pahad ka pani and pahad ki jawani pahad ke kam nahin aate (the water and the youths of the hills are never of any help to them”.
“We have to change this old concept,” he said.
“Large-scale investments in the infrastructure sector in Uttarakhand are not only boosting connectivity to remote villages but also new employment and self-employment opportunities for local youths near their homes so that its youth can return to villages,” Modi said.
The roads and rail lines being laid in the state and the growing network of internet are creating new employment opportunities for the youths in Uttarakhand’s hills for which they had to migrate to big cities earlier, he said.
He said the biggest beneficiaries of the Mudra Loan Yojana have been youths and women in the SC/ST and OBC categories, he said.
Collateral-free loans up to Rs 10 lakh are being given to youths to open shops, ‘dhabas’, guesthouses and homestays from which the youths of Uttarakhand can benefit immensely, he said. “It is an Amrit Kaal of limitless possibilities for the country’s youths”.
The tourism sector is also expanding with new destinations being added to the tourism map, he noted.
At Monday’s Rozgar mela, appointment letters were electronically distributed to assistant teachers.
Describing teachers as a medium for big change, the prime minister said they have to prepare the youths for a new century as per the new education policy.
In June last year, the prime minister had directed various ministries and departments to fill up 10 lakh government vacancies in a mission mode by December 2023.
Today’s Rozgar Mela was in the series of initiative that was launched October 22, 2022 when the prime minister handed out appointment letters to 75,000 people.
January 20 this year, he distributed electronically 71,426 appointment letters to recruits in different government departments, and earlier November 22, 2022 more than 71,000 job aspirants were handed over appointment letters of government jobs.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and state education minister Dhan Singh Rawat attended the event held at the Mukhya Sevak Sadan where appointment letters to assistant teachers were distributed after the prime minister’s virtual address.
As many as 150 assistant teachers were given appointment letters at the Mukhya Sevak Sadan on Monday at the beginning of the Rozgar Mela. A total of 1,431 assistant teachers of five selected subjects will get their appointment letters.
Speaking at the event, Dhami said a Mukhya Mantri Utthan Yojana and Gyankosh Yojana will soon be launched for students in the state.
Under the Mukhya Mantri Utthan Yojana meritorious students who cannot join coaching institutes to prepare for IAS, IPS, PCS, NDA, CDS, medical and engineering examinations will be provided free coaching.
PTI