The young sons and daughters of the country, all other dignitaries present here and ladies and gentlemen! First of all, many congratulations to all the countrymen on the occasion of Dhanteras! May Lord Dhanvantari keep you healthy, may the blessings of Maa Lakshmi be with you all! I pray to God for these wishes. I am fortunate that I have just returned from Kedarnath-Badrinath. As a result, I got a bit late, and therefore, I ask for your forgiveness.

Friends,

Today is an important occasion for the youth power of India. A new link in the form of ‘Rozgar Mela’ (recruitment drive) is being anchored to the ongoing campaign for employment and self-employment in the country for the last eight years. This link is ‘Rozgar Mela’. Keeping in mind the 75 years of independence, the central government is giving appointment letters to 75,000 youth today under a programme.  Appointment letters have also been given to lakhs of youth in the past eight years, but this time we decided that a tradition of giving appointment letters in one go should be started so that a collective temperament of completing projects in a time-bound way develops in all the departments. Therefore, the Indian government has started ‘Rozgar Mela’.

Lakhs of youths will be given appointment letters by the Indian government from time to time in the next few months. I am happy that many NDA-ruled and BJP-ruled states along with the Union Territories are also going to organise similar drives. The administration of Jammu and Kashmir, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman-Diu and Andaman-Nicobar is also going to give appointment letters to thousands of youth by conducting similar programs in the coming days. I congratulate the young colleagues who have received appointment letters today.

Friends,

All of you are joining the Indian government at a time when the country has entered the ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence. We are walking on the path of ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) for fulfilling the resolve of a developed India. Our innovators, entrepreneurs, farmers and those involved in the services and manufacturing sectors have an important role to play in this regard. In short, a developed India is possible only with the efforts of everyone. The spirit of ‘Sabka Prayas’ (everyone’s efforts) can be awakened only when basic facilities are available to every Indian quickly, and government processes are also swift. Completing the process of lakhs of recruitments by giving appointment letters in a few months is evident of a big change in the government system in the last 7-8 years. We have also seen the situation which existed 8-10 years ago when even a small government job entailed several months. Dust used to gather on government files on their way from one table to another. But now the situation as well as the work culture is changing in the country.

Friends,

It has taken 7-8 years of hard work and a huge resolve of the ‘karma yogis’ for the recent promptness and efficiency in the central government departments. Otherwise, you would recall the problems if one had to apply for government jobs earlier. Various certificates were demanded and one had to stand in a queue outside the political leaders’ house to get those certificates attested. One needed officers’ recommendations before meeting the political leaders. We liberated the youth from all these problems in the initial years of the government itself. We allowed self-attestation, whereby the youth could certify their certificates themselves. The second big step that we took was the elimination of interview rounds in Group C and Group D recruitments of the Central Government. Millions of youth have also benefited immensely after the interview process was discontinued.

Friends,

Today India is the fifth largest economy in the world. We have jumped from No.10 to No.5 within seven-eight years. It is true that the situation in the world is not conducive and many big economies are struggling. Many problems, including inflation and employment, are at its peak in many countries of the world. Neither India nor the world feels that the side effects of the biggest crisis in 100 years will disappear in 100 days. The crisis is huge and it is worldwide and its impact is being felt all over. But in spite of this, India is consistently trying to save itself from this worldwide crisis and minimize its impact by taking new initiatives and some calculated risks as well. It is a testing period, but so far we have survived due to your blessings and cooperation. It has been made possible because we have removed those shortcomings in the last eight years which used to create obstacles in the country’s economy.

Friends,

We are creating such an environment in this country so that agriculture, private sector, small and medium scale industries are strengthened. These are the largest employment generating sectors in the country. Today we are laying greater emphasis on skill development of youth. A huge campaign is underway to train the youth according to the needs of the industries of the country under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana. So far more than 1.25 crore youth have been trained under the Skill India campaign. Skill development centers have been set up across the country in this regard. Hundreds of new institutions of higher education have also been established by the central government in these eight years. We have opened up the space sector for the youth and have simplified the drone policy so that there are more opportunities for the youth across the country.

Friends,

People’s limited access to the banking system was the biggest impediment to the creation of a large number of jobs and self-employment in the country. We have removed this obstacle as well. Mudra Yojana has expanded entrepreneurship in villages and small towns of the country. So far, loans worth Rs 20 lakh crore have been given under this scheme. Such a big program related to self-employment has never been implemented in the country before. Out of all the friends who have got this loan, there are more than 7.5 crore people who have started their business for the first time. And importantly, about 70 percent of the beneficiaries of Mudra Yojana are our daughters, mothers and sisters. Apart from this, another statistic is very important. In the last few years, eight crore women have joined the self-help groups, to whom the Government of India is giving financial help. These crores of women are now selling their products across the country and increasing their income. Yesterday, I was interacting with our mothers and sisters associated with the self-help groups in Badrinath. They told me that each of their self-help groups made a profit of 2.5 lakh rupees following the visit of the people to Badrinath.

Friends,

Another example of a large number of employment generation in villages is our Khadi and Village Industries. The turnover of the Khadi and Village Industries has crossed Rs one lakh crore for the first time in the country. More than one crore jobs have been created in Khadi and Village Industries in the last few years. Importantly, our sisters have a large stake in it.

Friends,

The Start-Up India campaign has established the potential of the youth of the country all over the world. Where there were a few hundred start-ups in the country till 2014, today this number has increased to more than 80,000. Many companies worth thousands of crores of rupees have been created during this period by our young colleagues. Today lakhs of youth are working in these thousands of start-ups of the country. Today crores of people are working in the MSMEs and small industries, in which a large number of youth have joined in recent years. About 1.5 crore jobs which were threatened during the Corona crisis were saved after the central government provided more than Rs 3 lakh crore to MSMEs. The Government of India is also providing employment to seven crore people across the country through MNREGA which is laying greater emphasis on asset creation.

The Digital India campaign has also created lakhs of digital entrepreneurs across the country. Lakhs of youth have got employment in more than 5 lakh common service centers in the country. With the expansion of 5G, employment opportunities in the digital sector are going to increase further.

Friends,

The country's most ambitious mission in the 21st century is Make-in-India ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’. Today the country is moving from being an importer to exporter in many respects. There are many sectors in which India is moving towards becoming a global hub today. The export of mobile phones worth one billion dollars every month shows our new potential. When India breaks all its previous export records, it is a proof that new employment opportunities are also being created at the ground level. Today, exports are growing rapidly in many sectors from vehicles to metro and train coaches and defence equipment. This is possible because factories are growing in India. The growth of factories is also leading to the increase in the number of people working in them.

Friends,

Manufacturing and tourism are two such sectors, which create the maximum number of employment. Today the central government is working on these sectors also in a very comprehensive manner. Processes are also being simplified for companies from all over the world to come to India, set up their units in India and meet the world's demand. The government has also started the production-linked PLI schemes to give incentives. Incentives will be based on the production. This is the policy of India. Its better results are already visible in many sectors today. The EPFO data over the past few years also shows the rise in employment due to the government's policies. According to the data released two days ago, about 17 lakh people have joined EPFO in the month of August this year. That is, they have become a part of the country's formal economy. Of these people, there are about eight lakh people who belong to the age group of 18 to 25 years.

Friends,

Infrastructure construction also creates opportunities for employment. This has also been recognized across the world that this sector gives an impetus to employment. Thousands of kilometers of National Highways have been constructed across the country in the last eight years. The doubling of the railway lines, gauge conversion and electrification in the railways has been happening across the country. New airports are being built, railway stations are being modernized and new waterways are being built. A major campaign of optical fiber networks is going on across the country. Millions of wellness centers are being built. More than three crore houses have also been built under the PM Awas Yojana. I am going to speak in detail on this issue when I will hand over the keys of houses to 4.5 lakh brothers and sisters of Madhya Pradesh later this evening on the occasion of Dhanteras. I request you to listen to my speech in the evening.

Friends,

The Government of India has targeted to spend more than 100 lakh crore rupees on infrastructure. The development work on such a large scale is creating lakhs of employment opportunities for the youth at the local level. All these projects for modern infrastructure are also giving new energy to the tourism sector. The places of historical importance, faith and spirituality are also being developed across the country. All these efforts are creating employment and giving opportunities to the youth even in remote areas. Overall, the central government is working on many fronts simultaneously to create more and more jobs in the country.

Friends,

We consider the youth population of the country as our biggest strength. Our youth are the drivers of building a developed India in the ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence. I would especially like to remind those who have received the appointment letters today to remember your path of duty when you join the office. You are being appointed to serve the public. In 21st century India, government service is not a facility, but a commitment to serve the country's people by working within the time limit. It is a golden opportunity. No matter how difficult the situations and circumstances, we will continue to discharge our duties within the time limit. I am sure you will keep the spirit of service paramount while keeping this resolution in mind. Remember, your dream has begun from today which will be fulfilled only with developed India. Very best wishes to all of you for a new beginning of life in the form of the appointment letters and I believe that together we will leave no stone unturned in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of common human beings of the country! Today is the holy festival of Dhanteras. There is a great importance of this festival in our country. Diwali is also in a few days. In fact, it is a festive period. Having these letters in your hands will make your festivals more fervent, and will also align you with a resolution which will be realized when India will celebrate 100 years of its independence. These 25 years of ‘Amrit Kaal’ and 25 years of your life are very important. Let us together take the country to new heights. I wish you the very best. Thanks a lot.

DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.

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DS/LP/VK/AK