Namaskar!

My heartiest congratulations to the young friends of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand for the Rozgar Mela! This day is a new beginning for those who have received appointment letters today. This is definitely going to change your and your families' lives. The service in which you are entering today, is not only going to transform your life but also is a medium for bringing massive changes. With your service, you have to make your best contributions to the efforts of development in the state and the nation. Most of you are going to serve in the field of education. Through the New National Education Policy, we have resolved to prepare the youth of India for the new century. The responsibility of implementing this resolution on the ground in Uttarakhand rests on the shoulders of youngsters like you.

Friends,

Be it the Central Government or the BJP Government of Uttarakhand, we are constantly trying to ensure that every youngster gets new opportunities according to his/her interest and ability, and everyone gets the right medium to move forward. This campaign of recruitment in government services is also a step taken in this direction. In the last few months, the Central Government has given appointment letters to lakhs of youngsters of the country. Such campaigns are being run on a large scale in the states run by the BJP governments across the country, as well as all the Union Territories. I am glad that today Uttarakhand is also joining this campaign.

Friends,

We have to change the old belief that stated - 'the water and youth power of hills generally remain untapped by the hill region'. That's why the Central Government is making constant efforts to ensure that the youth of Uttarakhand return to their villages. For this, new employment and self-employment opportunities are being created in the hills. Today you can see that several roads are being built and railway lines are being laid. That is, heavy investments are being made on infrastructure in Uttarakhand. As a result, it is becoming easier to travel to far-flung villages. And a large number of jobs are also being created due to this. Be it construction work, engineering or industries related to raw materials or even shops, job opportunities are increasing everywhere. Due to increase in demand in the transport sector, youth are getting new opportunities. Earlier, for these types of jobs, my rural youth of Uttarakhand, had to move towards the city. Today, thousands of youths are also working in common service centres which provide internet service and digital services in every village.

Friends,

As far-flung areas of Uttarakhand are being connected by road, rail and internet, the tourism sector is also expanding. New tourist places are becoming popular on the tourism map. Consequently, the youth of Uttarakhand are getting similar types of employment opportunities near home, for which they had to move to large cities before. Mudra Yojana is helping a lot in boosting employment and self-employment in tourism. Under this scheme, those engaged in businesses like shops, dhabas, guest houses, home stays are getting loans up to Rs 10 lakh without guarantee. So far, 38 crore Mudra loans have been given across the country. About 8 crore youngsters have become entrepreneurs for the first time with the help of these loans. In this, the share of women and young friends belonging to SC/ST/OBC classes is maximum. Thousands of friends from Uttarakhand have also taken advantage of the same.

Friends,

This is the 'Amritkaal' of wonderful possibilities for the youth of India. You have to give it constant momentum through your services. Once again, I wish you all the very best and hope that you will serve the people of Uttarakhand well and contribute in making Uttarakhand better. Our country will also become strong, capable and prosperous with these efforts! Thank you very much!

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

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DS/LP/IG/AK