Jakhar seeks debate in Vidhan Sabha on rising unemployment
Tuesday, 20/08/2013
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Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Sunil Jakhar on Monday demanded a special debate on the fast-increasing number of unemployed in Punjab during the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha session. Jakhar said this while leading a march of unemployed youths to get their names registered in the employment office at Abohar in Fazilka district.
Jakhar said 40% of the unemployed youths made 16% of the 2.77 crore population in Punjab, but the state government had ‘mischievously’ put the number at 3.55 lakh as on February 28.
“In developing countries, governments make efforts to explore avenues of employment if the number goes up to 5%. Regretfully, the SAD-BJP alliance retained its ruling status by promising to pay R1,000 as monthly unemployment allowance, but deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal backtracked when the matter was raised in the Vidhan Sabha,” said Jakhar.
He added that the names of unemployed youths would be got registered in all employment offices across the state, and the CLP would build pressure on the government by raising the issue with the speaker’s permission in the Vidhan Sabha. The party will urge the government to remove the ban on recruitment in all its departments, boards, corporations and aided educational institutions, he added.
“All Congress legislators are being requested to launch the unemployment youth registration campaign in their respective constituencies,” the CLP leader said. He assured that the Congress would force the SADBJP government to fulfil the election promise by sanctioning R1,000 as monthly allowance for each unemployed youth.
The government would also be urged to sanction R225 to each handicapped matriculate, R150 to general category youth, R600 to each handicapped graduate and R200 to other categories of graduates under provisions of the notification issued by the labour and employment generation and training department under the Educated Unemployed Personnel Act, 1978.
The Act makes it mandatory for the government to release allowance to each unemployed youth registered in employment offices.
