BJP govt provided 1.5x more jobs than Congress govt in 10 yrs: PM

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said his government has given 1.5 times more jobs in its 10 years than the previous dispensation did in the same duration.

Handing over recruitment letters to government jobs to more than one lakh youngsters via video conference during a Rozgar Mela programme, Modi castigated the previous government for taking an inordinately “long time” to complete recruitment exercises and said it bred bribery.

The prime minister said his government has brought transparency and is working to ensure that recruitment is done in a time-bound manner. Youngsters now believe that they all have equal opportunity and can find a place for themselves in the government system through hard work and talent, he said.

The prime minister asserted that the measures taken by his government, be it a scheme for rooftop solar power for one crore homes or the massive investment in infrastructure, have been creating a lot of employment opportunities. With over 1.25 lakh startups, India is the third largest eco-system in the sector, and youngsters are launching new firms in even smaller cities, he said, adding that it is creating lakhs of jobs.

Modi said 40,000 modern coaches like those used in the Vande Bharat trains will be manufactured and included in normal trains to increase convenience and comfort for passengers. Accusing previous governments of not paying due attention to the railways, he said the entire sector is transforming now.

“They neglected the common people’s expectations,” Modi said, attacking the previous governments. The prime minister said his government has extended tax rebates to startups and has announced a fund of Rs 1 lakh crore for research and innovation. Highlighting the far-reaching impact of connectivity, Modi spoke of new markets, expansion of tourism, new businesses and the creation of lakhs of jobs due to this. “Investment in infrastructure is being ramped up to accelerate development,” he said, adding that Rs 11 lakh crore has been earmarked for investment in infrastructure in the recent budget. ‘Rozgar Melas’ have played a crucial role in enhancing the contribution of the country’s young population in nation-building, the prime minister said, adding that a sizeable number of recruits will join the Central Armed Police Forces.

Recruitment examinations in the forces have now begun to be conducted in 13 Indian languages apart from Hindi and English, he said, adding that this will give equal opportunity to candidates. On the occasion, he also laid the foundation stone of phase I of the integrated complex “Karmayogi Bhavan” here.

This complex will promote collaboration and synergy among various pillars of ‘Mission Karmayogi’.