Delhi govt unveils 5-year plan to create 2 mn new employment opportunities

The Delhi government on Saturday unveiled its five-year plan to create 20 lakh new employment opportunities, identifying retail, food and beverages, logistic and supply chain, travel and tourism, entertainment, construction, real estate and green energy sectors as job creators.

It has been estimated that Rs 4,500 crore will be required for the implementation of policies for creating the jobs in five years and allocated Rs 800 crore for 2022-23.

The 'Rozgar Budget' for 2022-23 presented by the Arvind Kejriwal government in the Assembly on Saturday, targets the creation of six lakh job opportunities through the development of non-conforming industrial areas.

It aims to create 1.5 lakh employment opportunities by the redevelopment of retail markets, three lakh through virtual Delhi Bazar portal, one lakh through artificial intelligence-based app 'Rozgar Bazar', 60,000 by implementing 'Food Truck' policy, 42,000 through Cloud kitchen, one lakh through green initiatives, and 25,000 with the launch of smart urban farming, among other areas.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in a press conference, said price rise and unemployment are the two biggest problems faced by the common man and his government's plan to create 20 lakh jobs in five years was not any hollow poll promise.

"Each thing has been precisely planned and minutely analysed. Proper allocations have been made in each of the eight areas of job creation," he said.

Presenting the budget in the Assembly, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the government aims to increase the percentage of the working population of Delhi from the current 33 per cent to 45 per cent in the next five years.

"Through the Rozgar Budget, we aim to restart and strengthen the engine of economic growth. Through these schemes, we will encourage the present and future businesses of the 21st century in Delhi.

"With all these efforts at least 20 lakh new jobs will be created in Delhi in the next five years."

He said out of the 1.68 crore population of Delhi, only 55.87 lakh people are in some form of employment. It meant only one-third of our population has any employment in their hands, Sisodia said.

Compared to Delhi, out of 90 lakh population in London 51.60 lakh are employed, in New York city 52.6 per cent of 88 lakh residents are employed and in Singapore 67 per cent of over 55 lakh people have employment, he said.

The only way to create new jobs in the eight identified sectors is to improve the standard of living of the people of Delhi and to create demand in the markets, said Sisodia, who also holds the Finance portfolio in the Delhi government.

He said a foundation stone is being laid through various initiatives to create 20 lakh jobs, including renovation and innovation plans for Delhi's famous retail markets, Delhi Shopping Festival to encourage customers from all over the country and abroad to shop in the city, Delhi Wholesale Shopping Festival to make the city hub of wholesale trade.

Launch of Delhi Bazaar portal to connect shopkeepers in small and local markets of Delhi with customers, developing Gandhi Nagar market as a grand garment hub of the city, preparing job givers through a new start-up policy, rebuilding Delhi's non-conforming industrial areas, redevelopment of popular food hubs in the city, setting up an electronic city will also create jobs, he said.

The 'Delhi Bazar' will seek to promote the 'Go Local' concept, functioning as a virtual store round the clock throwing open doors for traders in the city to the whole world, Sisodia said.

Five iconic markets in the city will be redeveloped and transformed for Rs 100 crore. The Wholesale Shopping Festival held in the Yiwu City of Zhejiang has been a game-changer in attracting customers from all over the world to China, Sisodia said.

It is open to imagination how many jobs will be created when Delhi's goods dominate the wholesale market in the country, he said, allocating Rs 250 crore for Delhi Shopping Festival of Delhi Wholesale Shopping Festival in the budget.