Opposition BJP and Congress on Tuesday cornered the BJD Government in the State Assembly by raising the unemployment issue.

Opposition members said the Government has failed to provide jobs to the youths, for which they are migrating to other States in search of employment.

Participating in an adjournment motion, Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati said youths are going to other States for work while a whopping 22.5% of the total Government posts are lying vacant.

In its 2014 election manifesto, the BJD had promised to provide employment to 150 people in each panchayat and generate 2 lakh jobs every year. Where are the jobs that the party promised, he questioned.

The Government has set up Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), but teachers’ posts in the institutes are lying vacant. On the other hand, liquor stores are being set up in the villages, he added.

The Government has not given priority to employment. Between 1999 and 2008, 45,513 primary posts were removed; and, according to a reply by the Finance Minister, as many as 2,26,513 posts are lying vacant, said Opposition Chief Whip Mohan Charan Majhi (BJP).

There has been widespread corruption in providing employment and the Government has a big role in the matter, he alleged.

Majhi said unemployment has risen sharply in the past 22 years due to incompetence of the Government.

Replying to the motion, Skill Development Minister Pritiranjan Gharai said training programmes are being held regularly to make youths employment-ready. As many as 1,00,564 young people have been provided training between 2011-12 and 2021-22 of which 27,611 youths have been recruited, he stated.

A total of 82 skill development centres have been set up while as many as 296 job fairs have been organised in the 30 districts between 2008-09 and 2021-22 in which as many as 5,60,045 job aspirants took part. Of them, a total of 1,48,645 participants have been recruited, he added.

Also, 240 young men and women are being trained at the World Skill Centre and a total of 5,06,965 youths have been trained and self-employed in the last three years, said Gharai.

Employment and training are also being provided at the model career centres that have been set up in Sambalpur, Cuttack, Rourkela, Dhenkanal, Brahmapur, Keonjhar and Koraput with the help of the Central Government, he added.