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Maha budget: Eye on youth, finance minister Mungantiwar tries to skill them for jobs
State government will set up competitive exam guidance centres, encourage them to take up civil services
In a bid to attract young voters in the run up to the ensuing general elections next year, the Bharatiya Janata Party –led state government has focused on initiatives in industrial, social and educational sectors. From boosting the start-ups by the youth to encouraging them to take up civil services in India and skill them for jobs outside the country by providing them information and training in the state-run centres, the budget has a slew of schemes for them.
The state budget 2018-19 has stressed upon the government’s resolve of investing Rs5,000 crore through angel and seed funding over the next five years by developing 15 incubators to benefit 10,000 start ups. It also has claimed that it will provide employment and self-employment to 5 lakh people. An outlay of Rs5 crore has been given to establish a centre of excellence and incubation centre for training in the fields of defence and aerospace to encourage youth to take up start-ups.
Finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said on Friday after presenting the budget that to encourage the youth from the state to take up competitive exams conducted by UPSC, Banking Services Boards and Railway Recruitment Board, the state government has decided to set up competitive exam guidance centres. “This would provide equal opportunities to the youngsters from the state and increase the percentage at national level,” he added.
Following aggressive protests by the Maratha community last year and unrest among the youth from the community, the budget has hiked the capital of Annasaheb Patil Economically Backward Development Corporation to Rs400 crore. The corporation, which provides financial assistance to youth from economically backward classed to take up entrepreneurial activities, is expected to benefit 1.12 lakh youngsters.
The budget has proposed to increase the stipend of students undergoing training for UPSC exams to Rs4,000 a month from Rs2,000 a month currently. The finance minister also announced the increasing of annual family income limit to Rs8 lakh for students from the economically backward classes to avail the freeships for higher educational courses.
