The leader of the Opposition in Punjab, Charanjit Singh Channi on Wednesday said that his party will create job-oriented skill centres for the youth in every district if it forms the government in Punjab after the 2017 Assembly polls.
“There is a dearth of skill centres which can impart on-hand training to those who have just passed matriculation or higher secondary,” he said, adding that the Congress will do this for the youth after coming to power in the state. There are over 50 lakh unemployed youth in Punjab.
“Unless this problem is addressed, we cannot fight the drug menace and the law and order issue,” Channi said while alleging that the current government, headed by Parkash Singh Badal, “had no plan to engage the youth in gainful employment”.
He also said that the party will put school, college and university regulatory commissions in place to check cases of harassment of students as well as parents. Also paying tributes to martyr Bhagat Singh on his birth anniversary, Channi described the freedom fighter as “an idol for the youth of Punjab”.
The ClP leader, a day before, had kickstarted his week-long 'Jawani Sambhal Yatra' from Sri Chamkaur Sahib. He is leading about 1,000 cyclists to create awareness on and mobilise the youth against “social evils” and to press for their rights, including employment.