68 lakh got jobs in last 4 years: Mamata

Kolkata, Feb 16: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said 68 lakh youths have got employment in the last four years under her government.

Besides 68 lakh who have got jobs, another six lakh youths will be trained every year in ITIs and polytechnic colleges.

"In the next five years we will meet our target of training a minimum 30 lakh people," Banerjee said launching the 'Utkarsh Bangla' scheme for providing vocational training to school dropouts.

Under the state skill development mission 15 lakh boys and girls have been given vocational training in the last four years out of which 10 lakh have secured jobs, she said.

Another target of the government is to start campus placements for at least 75 per cent of the students. She promised an ITI in every block and a polytechnic in every sub-division.

"The new ITIs will be run by our industrial friends. They were shortlisted through a tendering process. They will provide the training as well as give jobs in companies," she said adding hostels are being built at a cost of Rs 35 crore.

The state has 250 ITI's and 186 polytechnic colleges at present. Seats in them have increased from 25,000 to 75,000. To further industry collaboration, MoUs were signed with Agriculture Skill Council of India and Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India (CREDAI).

In agriculture sector the chief minister said 100,000 people will get jobs while 30,000 will get in the construction industry with CREDAI'S help.

"Talk to universities if needed (their help for getting campus placements) and big and small scale industries," she said while adding the Employment Bank will now also include vocational jobs.

"Even the police needs people for those who don't handle weapons," she said. Banerjee also inaugurated the Kolkata campus of Amity University and launched the 'Online Single-Window Clearance System' portal for industrial projects.

PTI