Concerned over the “high unemployment rate” in the State, and the “apathy” of the SAD-BJP led State Government, Punjab Congress legislative Party (ClP) on Monday sought a special debate on the issue in the next session of Vidhan Sabha.
“40 per cent of unemployed youths make 16 per cent of 2.77 crore population in Punjab. But, the State Government, which has turned a blind eye, mischievously put the number at 3.55 lakh as on February 28, 2013,” alleged ClP leader Sunil Jakhar.
He added that in other developing countries, “the Governments make untiring efforts to explore avenues of employment if the graph goes up to five per cent.
Regretfully, the SAD- BJP alliance retained its ruling status by promising to pay `1,000 as monthly unemployment allowance but Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal back tracked when the matter was raised in Vidhan Sabha”.
Jakhar was speaking on the sidelines of the campaign, inaugurated by him, to get the names of unemployed youth registered in the employment office.He led the march of unemployed youths to the employment office at Abohar.
Jakhar maintained that the party would get the names of unemployed youths registered in all employment offices across the State, and “ClP will then mount pressure on the Government by raising the issue with permission of Speaker in Vidhan Sabha”.
“The party will urge the Government to remove bans on recruitment in all its departments, boards, corporations and aided educational institutions. All Congress legislatures are being requested to launch the unemployment youth registration campaign in their respective constituency,” he added.
Jakhar, also the leader of the Opposition, assured hundreds of youths that pressure would be mounted on SAD-BJP alliance Government to fulfill its election promise by sanctioning `1,000 as monthly allowance for each unemployed youth.
Citing the Educated Unemployed Personnel Act, 1978, Jakhar said that the party would also urge the State Government to provide allowance to unemployed of various categories as per the provisions of the notification issued by Punjab labour and Employment Generation and Training Department under the said Act.
According to provisions in the Act, `225 is to be sanctioned to each matriculate handicapped, `150 to general category youth, `600 to each graduate handicapped and ` 200 to other categories of graduates.
The Act also made it mandatory for each Government to release allowance to each unemployed youth who had been registered in the Employment offices.