Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday during the Budget said the state government will present a comprehensive legislation to provide 80% reservation in the employment for local youth by correcting the flaws in the existing policy. Even though the government is making all efforts to encourage the development of new industries, it is also the government's policy to give priority to the local candidates for the jobs in the industry. This new law will be on the lines of Andhra Pradesh law to reserve 75% jobs to locals.
Amid fall in employment generation and lack of new opportunities in the economic downturn, the MVA government launched the Maharashtra Apprenticeship Scheme and the Chief Minister Employment Generation Programme. This is important as the state has lost 44,000 jobs in 2016-17 when the demonetization was announced. Thereafter, employment in Maharashtra dipped to 72.03 lakh up to 2019-20 against 73.50 lakh in 2018-19.
The Maharashtra Apprenticeship Scheme, which entails an expenditure of Rs 6,000 crore in the next five years, aims to provide employment, self-employment opportunities and experience to all youths who have passed at least 10th standard. The scheme will encourage the establishments for hiring of apprentices and training of 10 lakh young educated unemployed youth.
Pawar said the training will come handy for youths to get jobs in new industries and services sector including e-commerce, call centres, tourism, hospitality, fintech, telecom and textile. This is in addition to the traditional industry.
The Maharashtra Apprenticeship Scheme will be implemented for the educated unemployed in the age group of 21and 28 years. Candidates will be trained for a given period in the traditional and new industries in the government, semi-government and private establishments as per the provisions of the Apprenticeship Act, 1961. An amount equivalent to 75% of the monthly stipend of Rs 5,000, whichever is less, will be paid to private establishment per month per candidate.
For this, an annual expenditure of Rs 60,000 will be spent on each candidate. The government will provide 100% stipend. A new website will be developed for the implementation and monitoring of the scheme.
Under the CM Employment Generation Programme, one lakh industries will be established through self-employment in the next five years and it is expected to generate 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh jobs every year. The government has proposed an outlay of Rs 130 crore for 2020-21. Under this scheme, grant between 15 and 35 per cent is given to the new entrepreneurs for implementing self-employment projects.
The government has proposed an outlay of Rs 501 crore for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship department while Rs 8,547 crore for Industries, Energy and Labour departments.
The state government will also transform the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) into modern skill centres to international quality by upgrading their standards. The government expects Rs 12,000 crore to come from the private sector while the government will provide Rs 1,500 crore in the next three years.
