Investments in Uttarakhand will ensure employment to youth: PM

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that large-scale investments in infrastructure development in Uttarakhand are creating new employment opportunities for the youth from rural areas of the state who had to migrate to the big cities for employment earlier.

The PM, who was addressing the “Uttarakhand Rozgar Mela” via video-conferencing, noted the constant endeavor of the Central and Uttarakhand governments that every youth gets new opportunities based on their interest while getting access to the right medium to move forward.

Noting an old saying “Pahad ka pani and pahad ki jawani pahad ke kam nahin aate” (the water and youth of the mountains are of no use to the mountains themselves), Mr Modi said that it was the constant endeavor of the Central government that the youth of Uttarakhand return to their villages. “We have to change this old concept,” he said.

The PM highlighted new employment and self-employment opportunities being created in the mountainous regions and threw light on investments in infrastructural development in the state. “The laying of new roads and rail lines is not only boosting connectivity but also creating many employment opportunities. Job opportunities are getting a boost everywhere,” he said.

Mr Modi further noted the new opportunities being created due to an increase in demand in the transport sector and pointed out that earlier youth from rural Uttarakhand had to travel to big cities for employment but today, thousands of youths are working in common service centres providing Internet and digital services in villages.

The Prime Minister said the tourism sector in the state was expanding as a result of far-flung areas being connected by road, rail and the Internet.

He said new places were coming up on the tourism map and due to this the youth of Uttarakhand were now getting the same job opportunities near their homes instead of travelling to the big cities.
Talking about the “Mudra Yojana”, the PM stated that the scheme was playing a crucial role in boosting employment and self-employment opportunities in the tourism sector.
Giving examples of shops, dhabas, guest houses and home stays, the PM highlighted the loans up to Rs 10 lakhs were being provided to such businesses without any guarantee.

At the start of his address, Mr Modi highlighted that today marks a new beginning for those who got their appointment letters and said that it wasn’t just a life-changing opportunity but a medium for holistic change.

Highlighting the new experiments taking place in the country in the educational sector, the PM noted that most appointees would be serving in the field of education.
“The new National Education Policy (NEP) prepares the youth of India for the new century,” he remarked.

Mr Modi said that the recruitment campaign in government services was also a step taken in this direction and lakhs of youth in the country have received their appointment letters from the Central government in the last few months. “Such recruitment campaigns are taking place all over the country in BJP-ruled states and Union territories on a large scale. I am happy that today Uttarakhand is becoming a part of it,” the PM added.

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and state education minister Dhan Singh Rawat attended the event in the state capital where appointment letters for assistant teachers were distributed after the PM’s virtual address.