SHILLONG: In a bid to boost employment opportunities in state, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma announced plans to create an additional 1 lakh jobs within the next year.
Sangma, while replying to a question by Congress legislator Gabriel Wahlang in the Assembly on Monday, said that various schemes and programmes of the government will help to achieve the target.
“With an aim to create 5.5 lakh jobs in the next five years, we are projecting the creation of roughly 1 lakh jobs within the upcoming year,” stated Sangma, highlighting the government’s proactive stance on job creation.
He underscored the government’s commitment to tackling unemployment by implementing a range of schemes and programs, including MGNREGS, CM-Elevate, PRIME programme, FOCUS, FOCUS+, and Mission Mode Programs in Agriculture, among others.
Currently, the state’s unemployment rate, averaging around 3%, falls below the national average of 4.7%.
Highlighting employment gains in various sectors, Sangma noted the recruitment of over 3,000 positions in the government sector, including 500 doctors, 30 nurses, and technical staff in the medical department, 1,000 in the police department, and 1,000 in teaching roles.
He also highlighted ongoing efforts to generate over 2.5 lakh jobs in the agriculture and allied sector in the next 4-5 years.
Sangma outlined the success of initiatives such as NRLM, which has created 1 lakh jobs for women over five years, with plans for an additional 1 lakh jobs in the next 4 years.
Additionally, under Skills Meghalaya, 1.2 lakh individuals were trained, with an expected employment rate of 50%.
The tourism sector is poised to contribute to employment generation, targeting around 50,000 direct and indirect jobs, while CM-Elevate and the IT sector are expected to create over 50,000 and 20,000 jobs, respectively.
An additional 10,000 jobs are anticipated through other government programs.
Concluding his reply, Sangma expressed optimism, stating, “Therefore, we should be touching 5.5 lakh jobs in the next five years.”
