Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur while presiding over the meeting to Review the Employment Generation Targets in the State here today said that the State Government would frame and execute appropriate policies to facilitate investment and employment generation in all major sectors such as agriculture, tourism, industries, Power, Industries, education and health etc. to provide more employment and self-employment opportunities to the youth of the State.Chief Minister said that unemployment was the biggest challenge not only for the State and country but it was a global problem. He said that all the departments should ensure that the programmes and policies of the Government should be aimed at providing employment to the youth of the State. He said that in the current financial year budget, the State Government has laid special stress on employment generation and not only this, several new schemes have been launched by the Government.Jai Ram Thakur said that special focus should be laid on agriculture and small Horticulture sectors as it has immense potential of self-employment. He said that the officers of various departments must work pro- actively for effective implementation of those schemes that have greater potential of creating self-employment avenues. He said that Cooperative sector could emerge as a major self-employment creator in the State if the same gets proper encouragement.
He said that emphasis should be laid on executing schemes and programme which generate self-employment and regular wages employments in the State. He said that providing livelihood and encouraging entrepreneurship amongst the unemployed youth of the State was the main thrust of the State Government. More and more job fairs and campus interviews would be organised in every district and block so that the youth could get better employment opportunities, he added. He said that to enhance employment and placement avenues for the youth all the employment exchanges in the State would be converted into Skill Identification Centres and Model Career Guidance Centres.Jai Ram Thakur said that the about 2,75,000 employment opportunities were available in government, public sector undertakings and urban local bodies. Similarly, about 7,90,000 employments were available in organised and un-organised private sector, he added. He said that since there were about 8.34 lakh job seekers in the State and as many as two lakh youth get enrolled annually for getting employment. It was not possible to cater demand in government sector alone. Therefore, the State Government would ensure that all the major schemes executed by various departments of the State Government gives special thrust of generation employment and self employment.The Chief Minister said that the State has about 35.25 per cent youth population, which means that the job seekers are more as compared to another states.
He said that power projects worth 7848 MW have been allocated and projects worth 2795 MW have been allocated by the State Government. He said that the Government would ensure that once the work on these projects worth 10000 MW capacity starts, employment avenues would be opened to thousands of youth of the State.Jai Ram Thakur said that similarly travel and tourism was yet another sector which has immense potential of providing employment and self employment opportunities to thousands of youth of the State. He said that youth could be motivated to start their self-employment ventures in eco-tourism, water sports, adventure tourism and camping sites. He said that in industrial sector also the State Government would ensure that at-least 80 per cent employment in all the new and upcoming industrial units were provided for the Himachali youth. He said that presently 4.34 lakh people have been provided employment in Industrial sector in the State.While expressing displeasure over the delay in launching of the projects announced by him in the budget 2018-19, Chief Minister directed the officers to implement these projects at the earliest so that the youth are provided employment and self employment in these sectors. He said that all the departments should work with targets only then the State could move ahead on the path of progress and prosperity. He said for this all the officers and officials should work with renewed missionary zeal only than the desired results could be achieved.
Jai Ram Thakur said that the State Government would ensure that procedure of lease of land for developmental projects, a complex procedure of getting various clearances, time bound clearances under FCA and FRA would be simplified along with timely simplification of process for issue of various NOCs so that work could be started on various developmental projects at the earliest. This would not only provide ample employment and self employment opportunities to the youth of the State but would also transform the economy of the State.Chief Secretary Vineet Chawdhry said that it was vital that the investment in the State was encouraged in such a way that it generates employment to the youth of the State. He said that all the departments would ensure that special thrust was made on employment and self employment generation in various new and ongoing projects.Additional Chief Secretary cum Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Dr. Shrikant Baldi welcomed the Chief Minister and others present on the occasion. He also conducted the proceedings of the meeting.Additional Chief Secretary PWD Manisha Nanda, Additional Chief Secretary Finance Anil Kumar Khachi, Additional Chief Secretary Home Ram Subhag Singh, Additional Chief Secretary Forests Tarun Kapoor, Additional Chief Secretary Social Justice Nisha Singh, Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Sanjay Kundu, Principal Secretaries, Secretaries, Heads of Departments and other senior officers were present on the occasion.