Guwahati: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday said that over 70,000 young people join the workforce annually, making it imperative for the government to design a policy to create a ‘job market’.
Sangma made the statement while launching the flagship programme – CM Elevate at Jowai in the presence of MLAs Wailadmiki Shylla and Santa Mary Shylla. The programme is aimed to encourage and leverage entrepreneurial activities by supporting 20,000 beneficiaries with a whopping amount of Rs 300 crore in the next five years.
“The demand for jobs is huge and it is not possible for the Government to readily absorb everyone. Close to 1500 people are employed in the Government sector through Meghalaya Public Service Commission (MPSC) and District Selection Committees (DSCs),” he said.
Sangma highlighted the importance of creating an ecosystem of entrepreneurship culture that would push and drive the economy. Under CM – Elevate, interested entrepreneurs can apply for different ventures that would promote tourism, agriculture, entertainment and other social sectors. Under the scheme, the State Government would provide grant and subsidy of upto 75 percent and rest will be linked through bank loan.
“We have come up with a policy to promote entrepreneurship to tackle the issue of unemployment. Our policy intervention today will have a significant impact in resolving the issue of job creation in next 10-15 years,” he said.
He pointed out that programmes like PRIME and CM–Elevate will handhold, train and empower the youth to be engaged in productive activities.
“Unless and until policies are created today, we will have massive problems in the future. So, it was incumbent on us to come up with an intervention that will ensure that the problems are resolved in future,” he added.
He also informed that over 33 lakh people in the state, out of 39 lakh, are below the age of 45 years, and the issue of job creation will only increase and will pose a challenge for the State.
“Today roughly 70,000 people enter the workforce, which will increase to over 1 lakh in the next few years,” he said. He shared the government’s plan to address the issue of unemployment and create an enabling environment for job creation.
He informed that in the next five years through CM–Elevate, the Government has set a target to create over 50,000 plus jobs in the State in the entrepreneurship sector.
Terming that the State’s young population is the strength, he further said that programmes like YESS Meghalaya gives opportunity for the youth to be engaged in productive activities that ensure that their positive energy is channelized into constructive and meaningful engagements.
YESS Meghalaya, a brainchild of Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, launched in 2022 supports youth organisations, societies and NGOs to seek financial assistance upto Rs 1 lakh for awareness, educational and other engaging activities.
“In last one year, 1155 youth organisations have been supported by the Government and we will continue to support our youth through this programme,” he informed.
During the launching event, a total of 37 cheques were distributed, under Yess Meghalaya, Green Meghalaya and SHG movement to the tune of Rs 1.25 cr.
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MLA Santa Mary Shylla urged the youth to take advantage of the CM – Elevate programme. “The initiative is a step closer to reaching its goal of becoming a 10 billion dollar economy,” she said.
MLA Lahkmen Rymbui remarked that the state is fortunate to have a government that is uplifting farmers, sportsmen, entrepreneurs and every other skill or profession ranging from young to old. “I have never seen such enthusiasm from the Government in the past,” the legislator said.
During a day-long visit to Jowai, the CM also inspected U Kiang Nangbah College and Civil Hospital in Jowai.
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