Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma
Credit: PTI Photo
Guwahati: Alleging that nobody during the Congress rule in Assam got government jobs without paying a bribe, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said he is aiming at providing employment to two lakh youths in his tenure.
Addressing a function to hand over financial assistance to young entrepreneurs, he said already 1.4 lakh youths have got jobs in the state since he assumed charge as the CM.
"The youths during the Congress rule could not believe that they would get government jobs without paying a bribe. Even for low-paying jobs, they were required to pay Rs 1 crore of bribe," he claimed.
For the chairman post of the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC), the Congress government had chosen those who could "collect money" from job aspirants, Sarma alleged.
"An era full of thorns has passed. Now, we have been able to conduct recruitment tests transparently without any bribe," he added.
The CM said that 1.4 lakh youths have already "got government jobs against its target of one lakh", and the administration is now "targeting to provide employment to two lakh youths by 2026".
The BJP had promised to provide one lakh government jobs every year in Assam during the campaign of the 2021 assembly polls but later modified that the figure was for the entire five-year tenure.
Under the Rs 510-crore Chief Minister's Atmanirbhar Asom Abhijan (CMAAA), Sarma commenced the transfer of the first instalment of Rs 75,000 to each of over 25,000 youths so that they can start their ventures.
"Boosting entrepreneurship in Assam by empowering the youth is a focus area of our government. To encourage our young entrepreneurs, I am distributing grants under the CMAAA," Sarma said.