Punjab CM for further push to achieve target of 1 lakh government jobs

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday asked the Employment Generation & Training department to give a further push to achieve the target of 1 lakh government jobs at the earliest.

          While reviewing the progress of Employment Generation & Training department, the Chief Minister lauded its efforts in facilitating 17.61 lakh jobs in government, private besides self-employment since March 2017 even during the trying circumstances of Covid-19. He also asked the Department to give special thrust on the skill development training as it would be instrumental in making our youth skilled as per the needs of the local industry.

          Meanwhile, the Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan said the Employment Generation & Training department has made enormous contribution in facilitating our youth to equip technically skilled in order to keep pace with the current job market based on advancements especially in service and IT sector.

          Earlier, making a brief presentation about the activities of the Employment Generation & Training department, Secretary Rahul Tiwari updated the Chief Minister that out of 17.61 lakh jobs, 62,743 have been offered in government including contractual appointments, 7.02 lakh in private sector besides 9.97 lakh have been facilitated for taking up self-employment ventures. Tiwari further said since the second wave of Covid has badly hit our plans and in case the situation improves the targets fixed by the department would be certainly achieved as all the facets of employment and skill training were being meticulously monitored and on the right track. He informed that the department would soon ask the administrative secretaries of 40 departments to send proposals for the remaining 39,000 vacancies (approx) to the Cabinet for its nod, once the entire process for recruitment of 61,336 vacancies already cleared by the Council of Ministers is completed.

          It was also informed that six mega job fairs have been organized so far and seventh to be held in April 2021 was postponed due to the recent surge in Covid cases and once the Corona relents it would be organized in July and another mega fair probably in September or October. He also updated the Chief Minister about the Red Sky Scheme for rehabilitation of the drug abuse victims after honing their skills so as to enable them to earn their livelihoods with the sense of dignity. This unique initiative would also be instrumental in bringing the youth in the mainstream which had gone astray due to drugs.

          Tiwari also informed that the Foreign Study and Placement Cell set up at 'Punjab Ghar Ghar Rozgar and Karobar Mission', Mohali has already obtained Recruiting Agent and Travel Agent license for sending youth abroad on work and study visa and has counselled 352 youth so far. Apart from this, the department has also started a programme to impart foreign language training to the aspirants under which 15 master trainers are being trained to teach Japanese language to our youth as it would be beneficial for them to join the upcoming Japanese companies in the state. Likewise, efforts are already afoot to impart training in more foreign languages to the youth so as to be globally employed, added Tiwari.