Targets put in place as Delhi CM reviews plan to provide 2mn jobs in 5 years

Officials said most of the job-generation tasks have been assigned to the tourism department, Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation, transport department, industries department and Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday identified sectors, approved an initial plan of action, and reviewed steps that need to be taken to fulfil an important goal set by the state government in its 2022-23 budget -- creating 2 million jobs in the city in the next five years.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, in his first review meeting on the issue since the budget was presented in the state assembly on March 26, also tasked different departments and agencies to draw micro-plans to generate employment opportunities. (ANI)

The chief minister, in his first review meeting on the issue since the budget was presented in the state assembly on March 26, also tasked different departments and agencies to draw micro-plans to generate employment opportunities, said officials aware of the matter.

Over the next five years, the Delhi government aims to create 150,000 jobs through redevelopment of popular markets; 120,000 jobs through organising retail and wholesale shopping festivals; 50,000 jobs by setting up retail and food hubs on existing lands on bus depots; 600,000 jobs through the redevelopment of non-conforming notified industrial areas; 900,000 jobs through Delhi’s Startup policy; 1,500 jobs by promoting night time economy through its food truck policy; 30,000 jobs by facilitating the operation of cloud kitchens; 6,000 jobs through the redevelopment of food hubs; and 85,000 jobs through setting up an electronic manufacturing hub apart, from other measures.

“The biggest challenge in front of our country is employment. Children don’t have jobs to take up. Let us all work towards combating it within our timelines. If there’s any problem don’t sit on it, don’t wait for the next meeting. We all are available here. You can approach me, the deputy CM (Manish Sisodia), the chief secretary (Vijay Dev) or any minister, but flag it as soon as possible. This will help all of us to find timely solutions,” Kejriwal reportedly told officials during the meeting.

He added that the need is to and make Delhi an example for other states to follow in the employment sector.

How it will work

Officials said most of the job-generation tasks have been assigned to tourism department, Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC), transport department, industries department and Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC).

An official present in the meeting told HT the departments concerned were asked to draw a blueprint, along with timelines to create the specific number of jobs that they are meant to generate. “We will hold review meetings with stakeholders concerned and explore how many jobs can be generated in specific sectors,” said the official, asking not to be named.

Another official said that the making of the blueprints may take three to four months since there are multiple stakeholders involved in the process.

The government is also planning an employment audit of departments, along with the development of an app to record, monitor and track existing workers and new employment generation within government departments, said the official.

According to a government estimate,16.8 million out of the population of over 23 million in Delhi are eligible to take up jobs.

While presenting the Budget, Sisodia said the ‘Rozgar Budget’ will create new jobs for the people of Delhi and that it will boost economic recovery from the damage caused in recent years due to Covid-19.

Sisodia, who was a part of the meeting, directed all heads of departments to make sure that file processing and decision making is expedited. “The aim of this meeting was to ensure that every department understands its role properly as well as the right schedules that we are operating on. Some open-minded thinking will be required from the point of view of land usage, because it is a crucial factor in increasing revenue and jobs for the government,” Sisodia was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Delhi government.

According to the statement, Sisodia said that since the government cannot afford to lose time on any front, hence the timelines that have been made are very tight. “Every department is required to strictly adhere to these schedules, because once a delay occurs, it affects the entirety of a project and causes future hurdles,” he said.

‘Dilli Bazaar’

Some of the additional job-generating measures include the promotion of wholesale trade in Delhi by hosting a shopping festival in the city. The government will also develop “Dilli Bazaar”, a government run e-commerce platform to help local sellers of Delhi reach a larger customer base worldwide, the statement said.

By mid-July, officials said the government is likelyto launch “Rozgar Bazaar 2.0”, an employment portal to connect job seekers to employers. It will use advanced functionalities such as “smart matching” (to connect jobseeker to the most suitable employer based on their skills), employer verification, and placement tracking for advanced job matching. It will also offer value added services such as career guidance, skill credentialing, and automated analytics services for providing support even to those who are digitally disconnected.

The industries department will take up regeneration of conforming industrial areas to utilise the dysfunctional and sick land parcels on existing industrial areas to increase economic activity and generate employment opportunities. Through this, the government wants to rebrand Delhi as “The City of Business”, the statement said.

The Delhi government is also coming up with the Delhi Solar Policy, which is estimated to generate 10,000 jobs and the smart urban farming initiative, which has the potential to generate 25,000 jobs, government said in a statement. According to budget 2022-23, the new solar policy will push for adoption of solar panels on roofs of houses and commercial complexes. Through urban farming initiative aims to encourage residents to grow vegetables on their rooftops and verandahs

According to a government estimate,16.8 million out of the population of over 23 million in Delhi are eligible to take up jobs. “However, merely one-third of the 1.68 crore eligible people are employed at present. The government aims to take this 33% employment figure up to 45% over the next five years by creating 20 lakh new job opportunities,” the government said in a statement.

When contacted, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) general secretary Praveen Khandelwal said the government is yet to prepare specific timelines for the plan. “The government should reveal year-wise timelines. It must talk to the traders of the markets which it plans to redevelop and meet their demands. The redevelopment should be sustainable and long-term,” said Khandelwal.