In a strategy the Congress in Punjab claims will prove to be a gamechanger in the upcoming Assembly elections, the party is promising jobs to those who pledge to quit drugs, if the party comes to power in the state that goes to polls next year.
So far, 12 lakh youngsters have already signed up this petition in the last eight days.
According to a Times of India report, the move is seen as an answer to Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal who had promised 25 lakh jobs in Punjab if his party comes to power.
Till date, maximum registrations at 1.34 lakh for the scheme have come from Sangrur, an AAP stronghold from where Bhagwant Mann is the MP, 1.2 lakh from Captain Amarinder Singh’s home ground Patiala, 1.2 lakh from Ludhiana, 1.04 lakh from Jalandhar and 75,626 registrations from Bathinda.
Under the scheme, a youth has to sign a pledge “I promise I will remain free from drugs and make my family drug-free too”, before he is given a ‘Berozgari Bhatta Card’ with a promise to get a job or an unemployment allowance of Rs 2,500 a month for three years till a job is given.
According to the report, the budget envisioned by Congress for the scheme is a massive Rs 10,000 crore, and the party is expecting as many as 40 lakh registrations. The party says that 3 lakh households in Punjab have no earning family member.
When Akali Dal had come to power in Punjab in 2012, it had promised 10 lakh jobs. Congress says it has been a hollow promise as only 36,000 jobs were given till 2015.
“The unemployment rate among women in Punjab (19 per cent) was more than double compared to the rest of India (7.7 per cent). Almost 72 per cent of the job seekers in Punjab are educated,” a Congress leader was quoted by Times of India as saying.
Earlier, 30 lakh youngsters had signed up for a free smartphone from a prospective Congress government in Punjab.
