Congress promises 1 lakh jobs a year if voted to power in Mizoram

The Congress will create one lakh jobs a year and take drastic steps to curb the drugs menace if it comes to power in Mizoram, which goes to the polls on 7 November, the party's media cell chief Lalremruata Renthlei said on Friday.

If the Congress is voted to power, it will launch the 'Young Mizo Entrepreneurs Programme (YmElevate)' to provide startup funds and jobs to the youth, Renthlei said.

“Under YmElevate, incubation and startup funds would be provided which would help create more than one lakh jobs,” Renthlei told the media.

The Congress has already announced to introduce 'Tang Puihna’, a monetary assistance scheme for farmers and entrepreneurs to develop sustainable economic and livelihood activities.

Criticising the Mizo National Front (MNF) government, the Congress leader said that deputy chief minister Tawnluia earlier claimed that the outgoing government has created 7,983 jobs in the last five years.  

“Actually, the MNF government has provided 2,218 jobs through direct recruitment in the last five years. The unemployment rate is substantially higher for females (34 per cent) compared to males (14 per cent),” he said.

The Congress leader alleged that under the SEDP (Socio-Economic Development Policy), the MNF government has recruited 771 temporary teachers, but most of the selected teachers were from the "ruling party families".

Even the Central Young Mizo Association, the state’s largest NGO, raised the issue of abuse of power by the ruling party in SEDP teachers' recruitment last year, he said.

Renthlei said the menace of drugs is on the rise in Mizoram under the MNF regime and "we are losing an entire generation to drugs due to MNF’s negligence and incompetence".

More than 250 young people died while thousands of families have been destroyed because of the drugs menace in the last five years, he claimed.

Because of low employment opportunities in the state, the youths of Mizoram are forced to migrate to other states or countries for menial jobs where they have to face many problems, including inhuman working condition, discrimination, and harassment, the Congress leader said.

“Young girls in places like Dubai and Singapore face constant harassment and exploitation by their employers and private employment agencies. But they have very little choice and feel helpless because there are no jobs for them in the state under the MNF regime.

"The government doesn't give them necessary training to face cutting-edge competition in those unfriendly environments," he said.