The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : `Rajiv Yuva Shakti' launched, to be scaled up

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 20, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

`Rajiv Yuva Shakti' launched, to be scaled up

By Our Special Correspondent

The Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, launching the `Rajiv Yuva Shakti' by clicking a laptop in Hyderabad on Friday. Photo: P.V. Sivakumar

HYDERABAD, NOV. 19. Launching the `Rajiv Yuva Shakti' (RYS), a Rs. 321-crore self- employment scheme for one lakh youth, the Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, on Friday said it would be scaled up to a Rs. 1000- crore programme covering three lakh youth next year.

He announced other benefits too for the unemployed and others. He said the qualifying age for the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission's posts would be relaxed up to 41years. Steps had been taken to fill vacant posts in various departments. Six more youth hostels would be built in as many districts this year taking the total to 11and some more later to see that every district had one such hostel.

Dr. Reddy said of the Rs. 321-crore outlay for the RYS, the banks had agreed to sanction Rs. 221 crores as loans. The State Government's subsidy component was Rs. 70 crores and Rs. 30 crores was the beneficiary's contribution as margin money. The importance given by his Government to the self-employment of youth now could be gauged from the fact that the Department of Youth Services budget was just Rs. 6 crores last year. "We believe in action and not words and we have cleared projects costing Rs. 25 crores during the last 15 days after the GO was issued."

Training for youth

His Government had rolled out a red carpet to investors from outside to set up industries in the State assuring land at reasonable rate, quality power and infrastructure facilities, basically for creating job opportunities for the youth. Similar emphasis would be laid on IT industry and the Business Process Outsourcing. The Government would take steps to train youth in acquiring proper English accent suiting the BPO industry. He handed over sanction letters to a few beneficiaries, including a disabled youth.

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