Maharashtra CM inaugurates Maharojgar Melava

Amravati: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday inaugurated the division-level Maharojgar Melava at Industrial Training Institute (ITI) premises here and exhorted youths to help in making the state employment-rich.

"There is a dearth of skilled hands in almost every sphere of activity. The Skill Development department has, through this Maharojgar Melava, made a start in the direction of making Maharashtra a state with lots of employment," Devendra Fadnavis said, addressing a gathering of over 10,000 job-seeking youths.

Stating that employment is available at every step of development, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the idea of providing employment by way of skill development to tackle unemployment on one hand and lack of skilled labour on the other.

"Unless value addition is done to education or some skills are attached with education, jobs will not come the students' way," Fadnavis said.

He asked the youths to develop employment generation skills in addition to farming sop as to reduce the burden of agriculture.

"It is the policy of the government to train human resources of a particular area to meet the manpower needs of the industries in that area," he said.

Stating that India has only 4 per cent skilled manpower as compared to America (50 per cent), Germany (74 per cent), Japan (80 per cent) and Korea (96 per cent), Union Minister of State for Skill Development (Independent Charge) Rajiv Pratap Rudy said, "The Skill Development department has the responsibility of shaping the 'make' in 'Make in India' programme."

Rudy said, "If SSC-passed, HSC-passed students are taught vocational skills, it will help overcome the paucity of 3 lakh skilled labourers in construction sector, 2.50 lakh in weaving sector and 1.50 lakh in miscellaneous sectors."

Maharashtra Minister of State for Skill Development Dr Ranjit Patil said, "Employment is the right of the youths and providing it to them is the duty of the government," and asked industries to make jobs available to them as part of their social commitment.

He said 4.5 crore youths of the state are to be trained in various skills, and apprised that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) would train two lakh youths of the state youths, including 50,000 from Vidarbha region.

Patil assured to effect changes in ITI curriculum to suit the needs of the industry.

Fuel, an NGO that works in the field of counseling, presented a cheque of Rs two lakh to Fadnavis towards its Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyaan.

Amravati district Guardian Minister Pravin Pote, MLAs Anil Bonde, Ramesh Bundile, Ravi Rana, Prabhudas Bhilawekar, Patni, Maharashtra Principal Secretary Deepak Kapoor, state Skill Development Commissioner Vijay Waghmare, Amravati Divisional Commissioner Dnyaneshwar Rajgure, Amravati district Collector Kiran Gitte, UNDP's India Head Clement Hove among others were present.