Youth policy soon to boost job prospects: AP CM

The Andhra Pradesh government is formulating a 'youth policy' envisaging promotion of self-employment opportunities, skill-building, training and loan assistance with low interest rates, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu said here today.

Plans were also in the offing to reform the curriculum in tune with the changing market demands and the international job scenario, Naidu said, while presenting a 'progress report' of his government's achievements in the areas of employment generation, industries and tourism.

Accusing the previous Congress governments of neglecting the employment generation sector, Naidu said his government had provided a record 3.35 lakh jobs during the last eight years including about two lakh in the education sector.

Terming as a major success story the growth of CMEY (Chief minister's empowerment of youth) programme, he claimed that it was an unique scheme in the country aimed at providing self-employment oportunities for the youth.

There are 70,000 CMEY groups, with 6.5 lakh members, in the state with a turnover of Rs 1,236 crore, the chief minister said, adding that the government had so far extended financial assistance of Rs 400 crore to these groups.

The chief minister said that his govenemtn was determined to develop Andhra Pradesh as the knowledge hub by promoting the centres of excellence and carrying forward the literacy drive as a social movement with community participation.

Responding to a caller from neighbouring Rangareddy district who complained about poor functioning of a local e-seva centre, the chief minister instructed the district administration to immediately inintiate disciplinary action against the operators of the centre.

Meanwhile, the Congress legislature party(CLP) leader in the dissolved Assembly YS Rajasekhar Reddy came out with a parellel report focussing on TDP government's failures in employment generation sector.

"The last eight years of TDP rule is a black period for the unemployed youth in the state. Though Naidu claims to be working towards Swarna Andhra Pradesh, he has turned the state into Nirudyoga Pradesh," Reddy said.

Charging the chief minister with using CMEY programme to promote his personal image, Reddy, quoting from a CAG report, said there was large-scale misappropriation of CMEY funds.