To help local residents find more job opportunities, the state government has decided to come up with a law which will ensure that 70% of jobs in industries would be kept for locals.
The issue was recently raised in a labour and employment department review meeting, following which, CM Trivendra Singh Rawat has directed the industry department to draft a proposal, which would be later presented before the cabinet for approval.
Notably, during the tenure of N D Tiwari as CM from 2002 to 2007, the then-Congress government had also brought a proposal under which giving 70% jobs to locals in the industrial sector was mandated. However, in the absence of a proper policy, it could not be implemented.
Observers say that in the last 20 years since the state was carved out of Uttar Pradesh, industries have become a major source of employment. At present, there are 327 heavy industries and 64,619 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) in the state. While heavy industries provide employment to 1.11 lakh people, the MSMEs have hired 3.24 lakh people, taking the total number to over 4.35 lakh. At present, the total investment in heavy industries and MSMEs is Rs 51,511 crore.
Earlier, when Uttarakhand was a part of Uttar Pradesh, there were 14,163 MSMEs in the region which were set up with an investment of Rs 700 crore and provided job opportunities to 38,504 people. Similarly, prior to creation of Uttarakhand
As per the data, in the last 20 years, 50,456 MSMEs with an investment of Rs 12,916 crore have come up and given jobs to 2.85 lakh people in the state. The heavy industries, too, witnessed a major jump with 288 new units opening in last two decades with an investment of Rs 29,525 crore. During the last 20 years, the new heavy units have provided jobs to 82,024 people.
Speaking on the issue, CM Trivendra Singh Rawat said, “ We want our youth to benefit from the high number of industries that have opened in Uttarakhand and to help them get better job opportunities, we have planned to introduce the move. Working in these units, our youth can learn a lot and it will open more doors for them in the future,” he added.
