Where Did Sukhu Government’s Startup Scheme Go in Eight Months? How Many Benefited: Jairam Thakur
2 min read
Closing Self-Reliance Scheme Deceived Youth, Approved Projects’ Budget Stopped
Congress Came to Power Promising Jobs but Closing Employment Opportunities
Only Working for Friends’ Welfare, Says Sukhu Government
Shimla: Leader of the Opposition, Jairam Thakur, in a press statement from Shimla, questioned the status of the Sukhu government’s startup scheme. He asked when the youth of the state would start benefiting from this scheme. During the elections, Congress had guaranteed that upon forming the government, it would allocate a startup fund of 680 crores, providing 10 crores per legislative constituency, to help the youth generate employment for themselves and others. Several Congress leaders had even collected forms from the youth before the elections for this purpose.
For a year after coming to power, the government remained silent about this fund. In November, the government officially announced the first phase of the scheme with extensive newspaper advertisements and large hoardings on the streets. Instead of setting up production units, the government proposed subsidies for purchasing electric vehicles. Thousands of youths applied, but eight months have passed since the announcement, and not a single youth has benefited from this scheme. Not a single taxi has been purchased under this scheme. Thakur questioned if buying an electric taxi takes this long. He accused the government of not intending to work for the state’s people, calling it a betrayal of the youths waiting for financial assistance for startups.
Thakur also criticized the government for shutting down the Self-Reliance Scheme initiated by the BJP government. He claimed that even the budget for already approved projects was not released. Some youths received partial installments, but the remaining funds were withheld, leaving them in limbo. The government had promised to provide employment to millions but failed to do so, neither offering jobs directly nor allowing entrepreneurial youths to create jobs for others.
Under the former government’s Self-Reliance Scheme, an investment of 721 crores was made in the state. The government provided a grant of 200 crores, approving 4377 units, which created employment for 11,674 people. Thakur argued that if this scheme hadn’t been shut down out of political vendetta, it could have generated thousands of job opportunities and revenue for the state. He accused the Sukhu government of short-sightedness and working with a sense of revenge, causing problems for the youth of the state.
Thakur alleged that the Chief Minister is only working for the benefit of his friends, protecting their interests instead of providing employment to the state’s youth. He is more focused on giving cabinet ranks and safeguarding his government rather than fulfilling his promises. Thakur demanded that the Sukhu government stop making false promises and idle talks and quickly release the budget for the startup fund, as it has been more than a year and a half since the government came to power.
