West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has proposed a monthly payment of ₹1,500 for unemployed youth job searchers to assist them become self-sufficient in the future. The announcement was made on the eve of International Women’s Day, March 8, during her address at a sit-in protesting the Election Commission’s large-scale deletion of voter names during the state’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral lists, according to PTI news agency.
The declaration is significant since it comes ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections, which are set to take place shortly. Mamata stated that individuals who pass the secondary exams (Class 10) will receive a monthly allowance. The Bengal Chief Minister stated that young men and women aged 21 to 40 who have completed their secondary exams will be eligible for the allowance beginning March 7.
“In the case of Yuva Sathi, all those who are still studying and are not beneficiaries of any schemes other than scholarships will receive the amount,” according to Mamata. The chief minister stated that, while the TMC-led administration had previously stated that the stipend would commence in April, the amounts will now be distributed immediately. “…Since tomorrow is International Women’s Day, as a gift, we have changed the payment date from April 1 to today (March 7),” Mamata informed the crowd.
Mamata claimed that her government had provided job possibilities in the state, noting that West Bengal’s unemployment rate had dropped by 40%. “We have provided skill training to at least 40 lakh people, out of which around 10 lakh are already employed,” according to the chief minister. Mamata went on to say that this was possible because the state government “linked the websites of industrialists with those who have received skill training through Utkarsha Bangla,” as reported by PTI. The chief minister stated that migrant workers would also be given opportunity. “Recently, I heard that around 10,000 people are being trained in the jute industry, and they will also be absorbed into jobs.”
The Bengal CM promised ₹4,000 for landless farmers. Previously, farmers with one cottah of land received the same amount. Mamata stated that West Bengal was “number one in small and medium-scale industries,” with 1.5 crore of its citizens employed in small-scale industries.
