Thaindian News

Chandigarh, Feb 20 (IANS) To train unemployed youths, the Punjab government will set up state-of-the-art skill development centres at the block level all across the state.
“The skill centres will provide employment opportunities to the rural youth of the state who are either unemployed or school drop-outs.

“We will train them through short-term technical training programmes, after which they could also start their own business,” Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal told reporters here Saturday.

He added: “We will also set up private security training institutes at all district headquarters. These institutes will offer hi-tech training in private security services to our youth on the pattern of our already working security training institute at Jahan Khelan in district Hoshiarpur.”

Badal also asked the big corporates to join hands with the state government to set up skill development training centres and absorb the unemployed and less educated youth in the industry and infrastructure projects.

Expressing concern over the problem of unemployment in the state, he said: “This unhealthy trend of unemployment must be checked immediately or else it could lead to lawlessness and unrest amongst the youth.”

In this respect, Badal Friday inaugurated a Rs.18-crore driving institute called State Institute of Automotive and Driving Skills (SIADS), in Muktsar district. The institute is established jointly by the Punjab government and Tata Motors.