NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party government on Friday set an ambitious goal of creating 20 lakh jobs in the next five years for which it fixed targets and timelines for each department. At a high-level meeting to review the progress of the ‘Rozgaar Budget’ which was unveiled last month, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said jobs would be created in eight sectors — retail, food & beverage, logistics & supply chain, travel & tourism, entertainment, construction, real estate, and green energy. Each sector was supported with detailed schemes on how jobs would be created, he added.
Job creation had become necessary given the economic situation in the country, Kejriwal said. “The redevelopment of Popular Retail Markets project has a potential to generate 1.5 lakh jobs in five years through the promotion, branding and infrastructural facelift of popular markets in Delhi and will also increase the sales and attract more customers from the city and the rest of the country,’’ he said, stressing industrial areas, retail markets, start-up policy and shopping festivals would be major contributors to achieve the 20-lakh job target.
Finance Minister Manish Sisodia said that all department heads were directed to expedite processing of files and decision making. For the first time in the country, the ‘Rozgaar Budget’ was made with a commitment towards employment, he asserted.
As proposed in this year’s budget, the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation will take up the Gandhi Nagar grand garment hub project with an objective to protect and grow employment opportunities linked with retail, wholesale trade and manufacturing. Redevelopment and promotion of both manufacturing units and the retail market in Gandhinagar will be taken up with an aim to create 43,000 jobs.
Officials said the Delhi start-up policy will offer fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to recognised entrepreneurs and start-ups for generating 9 lakh jobs. The plan is to make Delhi the hub of start-ups through developing a niche policy.
In food & beverage sector, Delhi will get retail and food spaces at bus depots that can give employment to 50,000 people. A ‘Food Truck Policy’ — promoting business opportunities for restaurants and cafes — is likely to generate 1,500 jobs. Under the redevelopment of Dilli Food Hubs scheme, the branding and renewal of iconic food hubs will be taken up with a potential to generate 6,000 jobs.
Kejriwal said the government would host a shopping festival for four-six weeks either in September and October or February and March. Aimed to attract more tourists and to reconnect buyers and sellers, the festival has a potential to generate 1.2 lakh jobs.
“Employment generation may be a challenge, but we’ve proven that nothing is impossible. The whole world is appreciating how we have transformed education, health and electricity,” said Kejriwal.
