Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi on Wednesday said his party will create job-oriented skill centres for the youth in every district if it forms the government in Punjab after the 2017 Assembly polls.
“There is a dearth of skill centres which can impart on-hand training to those who have just passed matriculation or higher secondary,” the Congress Legislature Party leader said.
“The Congress will do this for the youth after coming to power in the State. There are over 50 lakh unemployed youth in Punjab. Unless this problem is addressed, we cannot fight the drug menace and the law and order issue,” Mr. Channi said and alleged that the current government, headed by Parkash Singh Badal, “had no plan to engage the youth in gainful employment”.
He also said the party will put school, college and university regulatory commissions in place to check cases of harassment of students as well as parents.
Mr. Channi paid tributes to Bhagat Singh and described the freedom fighter as “an idol for the youth of Punjab”.
He claimed that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy and son Sukhbir Singh Badal have already been “deserted” by the people of Punjab who were “determined to dump both the Akalis and the Aam Aadmi Party”.
Once the date of the election is announced, the people would start “boycotting” the Akalis who have unleashed “naked goondaism” in the State.
The Congress leader took a jibe at the AAP, saying it was suffering from “utter confusion” going by the “contradictory statements” of its leaders. The AAP lacked in organisational set-up in Punjab with only one State convenor and a recently appointed general secretary, he said.
Mr. Channi alleged that more than “insecurity”, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal “did not trust” Punjabis and that was why he had deployed “an army of outsiders” to look after his party’s organisational affairs in Punjab.
The CLP leader had on Tuesday kickstarted his week-long ’Jawani Sambhal Yatra’ from Sri Chamkaur Sahib. He is leading about 1,000 cyclists to create awareness on and mobilise the youth against “social evils” and to press for their rights, including employment.
The campaign is scheduled to conclude at Takht Sri Damdama Sahib at Talwandi Sabo on October 3, covering about 45 km daily on an average. - PTI
