naxal-hit GadchiroliSandip KolhatkarPune, Jan 14 (PTI) Snehal Abhare, a 21-year-oldpharmacy graduate from Naxal-affected Gadchiroli district,couldn't believe her luck when she secured a job within a yearof completing the course, thanks to a job fair organised inher home district which turned out to be a huge success.
Abhare, who graduated last year, got an appointmentletter from a firm after attending the event organised by theGadchiroli Police in collaboration with private agenciesrecently.
She would soon join the Nagpur-based firm as apharmacist.
Abhare, who hails from Chamorshi tehsil of the eastMaharashtra district, was not the only one whose dreams willbecome reality.
There are over 800 candidates, majority of them fromdisturbed areas of the district, who were selected by 18 MNCsand were given offer letters on spot, said Nasir Hashmi,coordinator for Community Information and Research Centre(CIRC) which organised the mega job fair last week jointlywith the Gadchiroli Police and Pune-based job portal, 'JobShowcase'.
"While working in the tribal and Naxal-affected areasof Gadchiorli, I experienced that the youth here wasadequately qualified but was not aware of job opportunitiesand how to approach for a job," Hashmi told PTI.
He said the youth in Gadchiroli only knew about jobsthat are available in the police department.
"In the past, I tried to convince some MNCs, but theywere not ready to come to this side of the state due to theNaxal threat.
"I tried to convince them that the youth here is theasset and if their knowledge is not utilised or channelised,they will be misused for sure," said Hashmi.
He stressed that it was important to bring the youthto the mainstream and give them exposure.
Hashmi said he came into contact with socialentrepreneur Ravi Ghate and Shriram Satpute of "Job Showcase"which provides both training and employment opportunities tolocal job seekers in rural and remote areas and they decidedto organise the job fair in the Naxal-hit district.
"I then met Superintendent of Police, Gadchiroli,Abhinav Deshmukh, who ensured cooperation from the policedepartment, and on January 5 the job fair was organised in theGadchiroli city. Around 4500 youths from across the districtattended it," Hashmi said, adding that this is the first timethat such a job fair was organised with the help of police.
Abhare said it was for the first time that sheattended a job fair and secured a job.
"I belong to Naxal-hit area of Chamorshi andopportunities for the jobs are minimal there, but the job fairturned out to be a boon for me," she said.
The Gadchiroli Police, who played a key role in thefirst-ever-job fair, reached out to masses through policestations across the district.
"In order to make the youth aware of this opportunity(job fair), we roped in our police stations and through them,a word about the job fair was circulated," the SP said.
Satpute, who was instrumental in bringing at least 18companies to the job-fair, said that apart from engineeringand pharmacy graduates, ITI diploma holders, class X and XIIpass-outs, and even school dropouts participated in the event.
"While the minimum salary offered was Rs 11,000, themaximum offer was Rs 42,000," he said.
Over 800 candidates were given the spot offer letters,while more than 1500 job aspirants have been shortlisted forfurther rounds. PTI SPKNSK.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.