‘What happened to pre-poll start-up promise’: Jai Ram Thakur targets Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu

Shimla, July 14

Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur today crititised the state government for not fulfilling the start-up guarantee given to people. “What happened to your government’s start-up scheme?” he asked Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Youths not benefited

• The Congress had promised before the elections that if it comes to power, it would launch a Rs 680 crore start-up fund for youths
• Congress leaders had even got youths to fill forms to select the beneficiaries before the last Assembly elections, says former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur
• It has been more than one-and-a-half years since the 2022 elections, but not even one person has benefited from the scheme

Thakur, in a press statement issued here, stated, “It has been more than one-and-a-half years since the Congress formed government in the state. How many youths have benefited from the start-up scheme? When will the youth of the state start benefiting from this scheme?”

He said that before the 2022 Assembly elections, the Congress had given a guarantee to people that if it comes to power, it would launch a start-up fund of Rs 680 crore for youths in each Assembly constituency through which the unemployed will be able to get self-employment and also create jobs for others.

Thakur said, “Congress leaders even got youths fill forms to select the beneficiaries before the last Assembly elections. It has been more than one-and-a-half years since the last elections, but not even one person has got benefited under the scheme so far. Instead, the government has discontinued the Mukhya Mantri Swavalamban Yojana and projects approved under it have also been halted.”

He said, “This has caused significant losses to the youth. Some young entrepreneurs have received some instalments, but the remaining instalments are not being paid to them. In this way, the state government has deliberately put the youth in a difficult position.”

Thakur said, “During the previous government tenure, Rs 721 crore was invested in the state under the Mukhya Mantri Swavalamban Yojana. The government provided a grant of Rs 200 crore under the scheme. A total of 4,377 units were approved under it, providing employment to 11,674 people. If this scheme had not been discontinued over political animosity, thousands of means of employment and revenue would have been generated in the state. However, due to the insensitive and revengeful attitude of the Sukhu government, the youth of the state are facing difficulties,” said Jai Ram.

Thakur also said that now a lot of time had passed, the Sukhu government should declare the results of pending competitive exams immediately and provide employment to the youth.

He said, “The government cannot ignore the future of the youth like this. It has been more than one-and-a-half years since the Congress formed government in the state. Now, the Sukhu government should release the budget for the start-up fund as soon as possible.”