Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the “Rozgar Mela” on Saturday to recruit 10 lakh people and underscored his government’s efforts to create jobs in the last eight years amid the opposition’s constant criticism of it on the issue of unemployment.
In his address after more than 75,000 people were given appointment letters for various government jobs in the first tranche, Modi acknowledged the challenges facing the economy the world over with many countries hit by a record inflation and unemployment and said India is making every effort to come out of the situation unscathed.
“It is a fact that the global scenario is not very good. Several large economies are struggling. In many countries, problems such as inflation and unemployment are at their peak,” he said.
No one thinks that the side-effects of the once-in-a-century COVID-19 pandemic will go away in 100 days, the prime minister said, adding that the crisis is grave and global, causing adverse effects all around.
“Despite this, India is taking new initiatives and some risks to shield our country from being affected by these problems. It is a challenging job, but with your blessings, we have been protected till now,” he said, adding that it was made possible as his government dealt with the shortcomings that were a hindrance to the economy.
The efficiency of the government departments has increased manifold and India has now leapt from being the 10th biggest economy to occupy the fifth spot in the world in the last eight years, Modi said.
In his speech to the new appointees, Modi cited numerous measures taken by the government, including the push to the manufacturing, infrastructure and tourism sectors, to boost employment opportunities.
Unemployment has been a major plank of the opposition in several state elections as it has accused the government of failing to create adequate employment opportunities.
The government has rejected the claim, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) citing its victories in most of the poll contests to counter the charge.
Modi cited the record amount of loan given under the “Mudra” scheme, which funds prospective entrepreneurs, and noted that the assistance to the tune of more than Rs 3 lakh crore during the pandemic helped avert a crisis to over 1.5 crore jobs in the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector.
He said the Centre is working on multiple fronts to create maximum job opportunities for youngsters and asserted that the “Rozgar Mela” is an important milestone in the efforts to create employment and self-employment in the last eight years.
The government is also working to boost agriculture, MSME and other sectors with a stress on upgrading the skills of youngsters. More than 1.25 crore people have been trained under Skill India, the prime minister said.
Modi had directed various ministries and departments in June to recruit more than 10 lakh people in the next 18 months.
Though his government has been generating employment for eight years, keeping in mind the 75th year of independence, it was decided that the Centre will give appointment letters to 75,000 youngsters on Saturday, the prime minister said.
“We decided that a tradition of giving appointment letters in one go should be started so that a collective temperament of completing projects in a time-bound manner develops in the departments,” he said, explaining the rationale behind the “Rozgar Mela”.
Initiatives such as liberalising the drone policy, opening up the space policy and loans worth Rs 20 lakh crore under the Mudra scheme have further boosted the employment opportunities, Modi said.
