BJP MLA writes to Yogi, Centre proposing jobs and skills mission

Lucknow/New Delhi: A BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh on Sunday wrote to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the Centre seeking a five-point action plan to enhance skills and employment at the state and national levels. Sarojini Nagar legislator Rajeshwar Singh, in a letter to Adityanath and Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, has proposed a skill and job fair every month for at least six months, facilitating walk-in interviews and, possibly, making on-the-spot selections.

“Based on measurable outcomes, the model could subsequently be considered for wider national adoption,” the former Enforcement Directorate official said in his four-page letter. Advocating for a “human touch” in the hiring process, the MLA said instead of “mechanically rejecting” young people for current skill gaps, employers should embrace a “train before you reject” approach through mentoring and giving another opportunity. He stressed that the responsibility of business and industry heads cannot end with hiring ready-made talent.

“Training, apprenticeships, employment, upskilling and re-skilling of young Indians should be treated by industry captains as a sacred duty towards nation building,” he said in the letter.

“CEOs and promoters should personally review fresher recruitment and apprenticeship programmes and make youth training and talent creation a boardroom KPI (key performance indicator). Industry must not just consume talent; it must create talent,” he added. The MLA also batted for regular government-industry-academia jobs and skills roundtables with the participation of CEOs, universities and skill institutions to forecast manpower and skill requirements for 3-5 years ahead.