New Delhi | Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday emphasised his government's focus on generating employment in the public and private sectors, asserting that the country has progressed in every field in the past 11 years.
In a virtual address after the distribution of over 51,000 appointment letters, he said his government's welfare schemes, be it building over 4 crore houses for the poor, distributing over 10 crore new LPG connections or the rooftop solar programme, have created lakhs of new employment opportunities and so have a host of other initiatives that led to growth in manufacturing sector.
Speaking of his recent five-nation tour, he said the whole world now recognises the strength of India's demography and democracy. The ability of India's youth is its biggest capital and a guarantee of the country's bright future, he added.
He said, "The world acknowledges today that India possesses two infinite powers. One is demography, the other is democracy. In other words, the largest youth population and the largest democracy." The prime minister asserted that the agreements signed during his tour will benefit Indian youth both within the country and abroad. The treaties cover critical sectors such as defence, pharmaceuticals, digital technology, energy, and rare earth minerals and will create far-reaching benefits.
"These initiatives will not only strengthen India's global economic standing but also generate meaningful opportunities for young Indians in both manufacturing and services," he said.
Noting that over 25 crore people were lifted out of poverty in the past 10 years, the prime minister said it would not have happened but for the employment and sources of income generated for them.
These poor people used to have a difficult living and feared death but became so strong that they defeated poverty, he added.
Citing an International Labour Organization report, Modi said over 90 crore people were covered under the ambit of welfare schemes in the last decade.
India, based on its Gini index, is among the countries with the highest equality, he said, underscoring his government's pro-people efforts.
Modi said his government's focus on boosting manufacturing has paid off, saying electronic manufacturing has risen over five times to be worth Rs 11 lakh crore in 11 years and mobile manufacturing units number nearly 300 from two to four earlier.
Defence manufacturing is being discussed proudly after Operation Sindoor, he said in an apparent reference to the display of India's indigenous military capability during the conflict with Pakistan.
The worth of defence production has gone beyond Rs 1.25 lakh crore, he said, adding that India is now on its way to becoming the third-largest economy.
Modi said India has emerged as the largest locomotive producer in the world and rail and metro coaches have registered strong exports. The automobile sector, he added, has attracted USD 40 billion in FDI in just five years, resulting in new factories, new job opportunities, and record vehicle sales.
The government, he said, is also focusing on creating new employment opportunities as he referred to the Employment Linked Incentive Scheme, under which people in their first job in the private sector will be given Rs 15,000.
The government will contribute to the first salary of their first job and has allocated a budget of approximately Rs 1 lakh crore, he said, adding that it is expected to help in the creation of about 3.5 crore new jobs.
He stressed the transformative power of India's manufacturing sector in driving national growth, generating employment, and accelerating India's journey toward becoming the world's third-largest economy.
Appointment letters were distributed as part of the government's Rozgar Mela.
The Rozgar Mela will play a significant role in providing meaningful opportunities to the youth for their empowerment and participation in nation-building, a government statement has said.
Over 10 lakh recruitment letters have been issued so far under it, it said.
