Kalam for job-oriented education

The President said only answer to retain the smile from the child to the youth is to generate employment.

Calling for an action plan for employment generation, President APJ Abdul Kalam on Tuesday said an additional 76 million jobs could be created in the next five years if various schemes are taken up under a & Mission Mode in sectors like textile, healthcare and wasteland development.

HT Image

In his address to the nation on the eve of the 56th Republic Day, Kalam highlighted the need for launching missions in the areas of agriculture and food processing, education and health care, information and communication technology, infrastructure development and self-reliance in critical technologies leading to transforming India into a developed nation by 2020.

The President said bio-fuel general, water harvesting and recycling, bamboo mission, converting fly ash as a wealth generator and village knowledge centres as other areas, which could generate employment avenues.

Observing that he had met more than six lakh children from all parts of the country and during interaction with them, they posed a series of questions "will I get proper employment and be able to contribute to India, to make it a Developed Nation", the President said "their questions really made me think ".

"The only answer to retain the smile from the child to the youth is to generate employment. It represents the aspirations and anxiety of nearly 540 million youth of our nation," he said.