Cash-for-job may soon become a reality in Punjab. For, the Congress-led State Government has made it clear that the Employment Bureau may levy ‘fee’ on job seekers, except SC, OBC candidates.
The announcement comes within months of Congress Government’s pre-poll promise of providing 50 lakh jobs to state’s youth. Only recently, the state government was under sharp criticism of the opposition for give a new name of “Job Fair” to colleges’ routine placement drives.
Even as the state government would fund the Bureau’s functions and activities by way of grant-in-aid to the Department of Employment Generation, it was left on the Bureau to decide on levy of fees.
“The Bureau may levy fee for the services provided by it with prior approval of the State level Steering Committee, but no fee will be charged to unemployed youth belonging to SCs and OBCs,” said the government spokesperson, in an official statement, on Sunday.
A 21-member State level Apex Committee would head Bureau’s organisational setup. It would include five representatives from industry with the state Chief Secretary as its chairperson.
Each District Bureau of Employment and Enterprise would have a governing council consisting 16 members including Deputy Commissioner as chairperson, Additional Deputy Commissioner as vice chairperson-cum-Chief Executive Officer and a Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO).
“DCEO will be full-time professional assisting the CEO and chairperson, Governing Council. He will be in-charge of the team of professionals to be placed with Bureau under various schemes. He will also ensure that the Bureau functions in a professional manner,” said the spokesperson.
The state-level panel would approve and review state’s annual action plan for employment, provide overall policy directions and consider the annual report of the District Bureaus besides monitoring, supervising, guiding the program and reviewing the progress of State Employment Strategy.
Spokesperson said that the government’s District Bureau of Employment and Enterprise, set up as a part of its ambitious ‘Ghar Ghar Rozgar’ Mission, will serve as one-stop platform for facilitating employment including overseas employment, skill training, self-employment, enterprise and entrepreneurship development at the district level.
“The Bureau will bring necessary synergy, oversight and effective coordination in the implementation of various schemes for employment generation, skill training, self-employment and entrepreneurship development across the departments at the district level and facilitate overseas employment,” said the Government spokesperson.
Spokesperson said that Bureau would coordinate with all the concerned departments for successful implementation of relevant central and state government schemes besides regularly monitoring the same.
Highlighting Bureau’s functions, spokesperson said that it would provide regular interface between the job seekers and employers through digital platform as well as conventional channels.
Bureau would provide a variety of services to the employers and job seekers that include understanding the requirements of employers and aspiration of the job seeker, said the spokesperson, adding that it would also support youngsters in seeking self-employment and other entrepreneurial ventures by providing assistance under various Central and State schemes besides providing professional guidance and mentoring, linkages with banks and other necessary support.
Youth desiring overseas placement will be provided necessary support such as information about overseas opportunities, clearances required, skill required and counselling etc, said spokesperson.
“Bureau would coordinate and partner with various educational institutions and skill training agencies for providing skill training, employment and entrepreneurship to the registered youth. It would also facilitate employment in agriculture related activities by facilitating the dissemination of latest practices for agricultural and allied activities,” said the spokesperson.
Keeping pace with the technology, the Bureau would also provide digital platform wherein all jobs or vacancies of the Government Departments or organizations would be published.