Chandigarh: As per the media reports the Amarinder Singh lead congress government in Punjab has categorically back tracked on its poll promise of providing unemployment allowance to the jobless youth of the state. Earlier this year around 25 lakh youth signed up ahead of the Assembly elections to receive deep-red “unemployment allowance cards” from the Congress, which held out the promise of Rs 2,500 per month as allowance if the party came to power.
Amarinder Singh [File Photo]
Stating the miserable financial condition of the state’s exchequer for the decision where regular employees of the state government will be paid halfway through this month, instead of providing the allowance the Punjab Government has proposed to arrange free training in “soft skills” for the unemployed youth to enable them to secure jobs. This will be carried out under the Punjab Skill Development Mission, paid for by the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
During the campaign for the Punjab state assembly election earlier this year influenced by Amarinder Singh’s delusive promises hopeful young men in the age group of 18 to 35 had registered under the “Har Ghar Ton Ikk Captain” scheme of the Congress, and received “Berozgari Bhatta Cards”. The promise was one job per household; and till such employment was arranged, an allowance of Rs 2,500 per month was to be paid for a maximum of three years.
It is notable here that the majority of Punjab’s youth which is currently jobless is already qualified post-graduate or a diploma holder in its respective field of specialization, it should be given a thought for a moment that what miracle or the difference will those soft skill courses do when the hard earned degrees of the youth is turning out to be of no help in securing a job for them.
Interestingly, the experience of the state thus far with skill centres has been more sour than sweet. At present, more than Rs 10 crore worth of payments to training centres are pending since the previous Badal-BJP government, media sources said.
Apparently, Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi reportedly said the government will invest over Rs 5,000 per person to impart the skills, and then hold ‘job melas’ to secure employment for them. “We will fulfil the promise of at least one job in every household.New soft-skill centres to provide training in 17 different vocations to 1 lakh youth in the first phase are being opened in urban as well as rural areas,” he adds, notes The Tribune (TT).