DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has urged the youth to bring about social change with their hard work and dedication towards making India a developed nation, so that the Prime Minister's vision to make India a developed nation can be realized. He said that the greater the participation of youth in democracy, the more the country and state will benefit. Various schemes are being implemented by the government for the youth, and they should take advantage of these schemes to contribute to making India a developed Nation, said Sh. Nayab Singh Saini.

The Chief Minister was addressing a state-level program on International Youth Day in Panchkula today. On this occasion, he also inaugurated the Drone Didi, Contractor Saksham Yuva, and IT Saksham Yuva schemes.

He said that the Namo Drone Didi Scheme announced by the Prime Minister has been implemented in the state. Under this scheme, 500 women and 5,000 women from self-help groups (SHGs) will be trained by 2025, and a drone will be provided to these SHGs to assist farmers in the agricultural sector.

He also announced an 80 percent subsidy or a maximum of Rs. 8 lakh for purchasing drones and equipment for SHGs. The cost of this initiative will be approximately Rs. 54 crore.

He further said that under the Contractor Saksham Yuva Yojana, 10,000 youths having engineering degrees and diplomas will be given skill training to start their own businesses and become contractors.

These youths will need to register on the Haryana Engineering Works Portal, after which they will be provided an interest-free loan of up to Rs. 3 lakh for one year. Thus, such youths will be able to take contracts up to Rs. 25 lakh in Panchayati Raj institutions and municipal bodies.

The Chief Minister said that under the IT Saksham Yuva Yojana, courses in networking, mobile technology, and other technical areas will be developed by Skill University for youths aiming for careers in the IT sector, providing job opportunities in various departments and private sectors.

The Chief Minister announced an increase in the unemployment allowance for youths registered under Saksham Yuva Yojana. From August, 12th pass youths will receive an allowance increased from Rs. 900 to Rs. 1,200, graduates from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 2,000, and postgraduates from Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 3,500. This announcement will benefit 2,61,000 youths in the state.

During the program, the Chief Minister distributed cheques of Rs.1,11,000 to students from poor families who scored 90 percent marks in 12th grade under the Medhavi Chhatravriti Yojana. Besides this, he also flagged off the Skill Yatra, which aims to raise awareness and alertness about skills among the youth of the state.

The Chief Minister said that the government is committed to realizing their potential through dedicated efforts. Various impactful programs like Make in India and Startup India are being implemented to enhance employment opportunities for youths, develop their skills, and invigorate them with new enthusiasm, thus strengthening the economic status of the country and the state, he said.

Nayab Singh Saini said that along with the Vishwakarma Skill University, modern training programs are being conducted in several technical institutions to equip youths with skills, with over 1 lakh youths trained so far to become self-reliant.

Furthermore, the establishment of the MSME department aims to promote micro, small, and medium enterprises, he said.

The Chief Minister said that several changes have been made in the state under the new National Education Policy (NEP). Technical institutions have been linked with industries, and skill promotion has been emphasized to ensure that every youth in the state is skilled by 2030. He said that the Haryana government is working effectively on this to achieve the goal of sustainable development.

He said that the present state government has made merit-based recruitment on about 1.44 lakh posts and will soon fill an additional 37,000 posts. The Foreign Cooperation Department has been established to help youths secure jobs abroad and protect

them from fraud.
(editor@dailyworld.in)