West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjeehas announced a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 for unemployed youth who are looking for jobs, aiming to help them become financially independent in the future.
She made the announcement on March 7, a day before International Women’s Day, while speaking at a sit-in protest. The protest was organised against the alleged large-scale deletion of voter names by the Election Commission of Indiaduring the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in the state, according to a report by news agency PTI.
The announcement is also seen as politically important as West Bengalis expected to hold assembly elections soon.
Who will get the Rs 1,500 allowance?
Mamata said the allowance will be given to those who have passed the secondary examination (Class 10). She added that young men and women between the ages of 21 and 40 who have cleared their secondary exams will start receiving the monthly amount from March 7, the report mentioned.
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“In the case of Yuva Sathi, all those who are still studying and are not beneficiaries of any schemes other than scholarships will receive the amount,” PTI quoted Mamata as saying. She also said that although the Trinamool Congress-led government had earlier planned to start the payments in April, it has now decided to release the money immediately.
“Since tomorrow is International Women’s Day, as a gift, we have changed the payment date from April 1 to today (March 7),” Mamata added.
Mamata claims unemployment has dropped in West Bengal
The chief minister also said her government has created job opportunities in the state and claimed that the unemployment rate in West Bengal has dropped by 40 per cent. “We have provided skill training to at least 40 lakh people, out of which around 10 lakh are already employed,” she said.
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Mamata further said this was possible because the state government had “linked the websites of industrialists with those who have received skill training through Utkarsha Bangla,” PTI reported. She added that migrant workers would also get job opportunities. “Recently, I heard that around 10,000 people are being trained in the jute industry, and they will also be absorbed into jobs,” she said.
The chief minister also highlighted that her government has announced ₹4,000 for landless farmers. She said that earlier, farmers who owned even one cottah of land used to receive the same amount.
Mamata also said that West Bengal is “number one in small and medium-scale industries” and added that around 1.5 crore people in the state are working in small-scale industries. |
