Job fair a step to encourage women empowerment: FM

Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal said today that special job fair being organised at various places to provide employment to women was a "concrete step essential for encouraging women empowerment".
The finance minister said development of infrastructure was meaningless unless the youths of the state were getting rewarding jobs.
In his brief address at a job fair organised at the District Industrial Centre here, Badal said that ensuring financial independence was a must for women empowerment.
He said the Punjab government under its 'Ghar Ghar Rozgar' programme has committed to provide job opportunities to 25 lakh youths in the next five years that include wage employment and self-employment.

Giving a call to industrialists to join hands with the 'Ghar Ghar Rozgar' Mission to accelerate Punjab's development, Badal said that employers can contribute as a driving force for the employment growth.
Replying to media queries, the finance minister said the state government has prepared a road map to convert Punjab from a "fiscal deficit state to revenue surplus state".

"Punjab has adopted a fiscal plan to restore the fiscal health of the state after 33 years. We have taken immediate measures to ensure efficient use of resources by minimising waste and improving accountability to make state revenue surplus by 2020," said the finance minister.

Batting for bringing petrol, power and stamp duty under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) while replying to another media query, Badal said that this issue would be raised during the next meeting of finance ministers to be held in Guwahati on November 10.
On problems being faced by sick industrial units of the state, Badal said the Punjab government has introduced one- time settlement policy with a view to bring blocked industrial investment into productive use and to revive industry.
He said that this policy would provide the much-needed relief to those industrial units that raised loans from state-level financial institutions as they can opt for paying back only principal amount.