MP government law to reserve 70% jobs for youths from state

Bhopal, July 9 (IANS) In another step to fulfil a promise in its poll manifesto, the Madhya Pradesh government is set to bring a law to boost job opportunities for the youth of the state.

The law to be passed in the current Assembly session will ensure 70 per cent reservation of jobs for youths from the state even in private industrial units, Chief Minister Kamal Nath told the House in response to a question on Tuesday. 

He said that permanent residents of the state will be given priority in private sector jobs.

Provisions to this effect will made in the new industrial policy and investment incentive schemes for new industries to be set up.

BJP legislator Yashpal Singh from Mandsaur had asked the question about ensuring employment to the sons of the soil.

The Chief Minister intervened when there was a heated debate between Congress and BJP MLAs on the issue. Nath said the situation in Madhya Pradesh cannot be compared with Gujarat or Bengal where the tests for jobs were conducted in local languages.

During the earlier sessions, Nath had said that jobs meant for local unemployed youths were going to candidates from states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The new government would put an end to the problem.

The House witnessed another confrontation among the rival benches when former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan raised the issue of loan waiver for farmers. Chouhan said the government had promised to waive loans up to Rs two lakh but the provisions have been subsequently changed forcing the farmers to seek money from private lenders. 

Chouhan said farmers were committing suicide. He requested Speaker N.P. Prajapati to order a debate on the issue on a priority basis through an adjournment motion. 

Leader of the Opposition Gopal Bhargava said that farmers are unable to get fertiliser and seeds from cooperative societies in the rainy season. He claimed that he had a list of 12 such farmers whose debt was not waived.

Prajapati said he had already received an adjournment on the issue and the matter will be discussed later.

The Speaker's assurance failed to restore order in the House as the opposition continued to demand an immediate discussion on the issue. The House was adjourned for the day amid noisy scenes.