Rahul's Nyay Yatra: Congress promises right to employment, apprenticeships for youth
Jaipur, Mar 7: The Congress on Thursday promised right to employment as well as apprenticeships for youths in a series of assurances made by its leader Rahul Gandhi at a rally in Rajasthan's Banswara.
If the party is voted to power in the Lok Sabha elections, 30 lakh vacant government posts will be filled and a law would be enacted to curb government recruitment examination question paper leaks, he said while addressing a gathering during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.
The former Congress chief also promised a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) for crops to farmers, social security for gig workers and a Rs 5,000-crore fund for startups.
Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said, "There are 30 lakh government vacancies in India. Modi ji doesn't get them filled. The BJP doesn't fill them. After coming to power, our first step will be to fill these posts."
On Thursday, the Congress also announced on X its five promises for youths and termed them "yuva nyay". These included filling of government vacancies, apprenticeships, freedom from paper leaks, social security for gig workers and the startup fund for youths below 40 years of age.
The Congress will provide the right to employment, Gandhi said in Banswara where the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra entered Rajasthan from Madhya Pradesh.
Every young diploma and degree holder in the country will have the right to apprenticeships in the private and government sectors, he said.
They will get a one-year apprenticeship during which they will be paid Rs 1 lakh, the Congress leader said.
"We are going to give right to apprenticeship to all youths of the country. Every graduate and every diploma holder will get this right. Every graduate will be given one-year apprenticeship in a private company or a government office, and Rs 1 lakh will be given to the person in a year," Gandhi said.
He said this will be like the MGNREGA and benefit crores of youth in the country. "They will get training and they will get employment in the first year," Gandhi said.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005, assures 100 days of work in rural areas.
Promising a law for social security for gig workers such as drivers, guards and delivery boys, Gandhi said, "In Rajasthan, a law was made for their protection, their pension and their social security. We will implement the same law which was made in Rajasthan in the entire country."
On the issue of paper leaks, he assured that the Congress will standardise the government recruitment exam process and "stop its outsourcing".
Referring to the ongoing protest by farmers to press the Centre to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee on MSP and farm debt waiver, Gandhi said the Congress' manifesto promises "revolutionary" steps for the benefit of farmers.
In its manifesto, the Congress assures legal guarantee on MSP to farmers and also to fulfil the demands of "the farmers who are marching towards Delhi and are being stopped on roads," he said. The party is yet to officially release its manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls.
Talking about conducting a caste census in the country, he said it is needed as a large section of the population, including OBCs, tribals, Dalits, minorities and poor general castes, are not getting their share.
There is a need for a caste census in the country and the Congress will get it done after coming to power, Gandhi said.
He said President Droupadi Murmu was not there at the consecration at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and claimed that this was a "direct message" that she cannot enter the temple as she was a tribal.
The Congress leader also asked the gathering whether they saw any poor, farmer and labourer at the temple ceremony. Industrialists and a big line-up of Bollywood stars were present, he said.
"Five per cent have the work to control every institution of the country" while "90 per cent of people work as labourers", Gandhi said.
He said, "This is the biggest question...". The caste census has to be done for the country's development, the Congress leader said.
Gandhi alleged that the Centre has closed all doors for the youth. The youth aspires to get into the army, but the Centre brought the Agniveer scheme, he said. Gandhi also alleged that the government has privatised public sector units and shut down schools and hospitals.
The Congress stands with tribals and it had brought the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act for them, he said and added that "we will bring many laws in the future for the benefit of tribals".
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also spoke about the party's manifesto and its promises.
"As soon as the Congress government is formed in 2024, a new 'Rozgar Revolution' will begin by providing employment guarantee to the youth of the country," he said on X.
Addressing the gathering, Kharge said that whenever the Congress has come to power, it has always worked for taking care of the poor.
"The Constitution of the country was made under the leadership of Baba Saheb Ambedkar and today all of you are getting the facilities from that Constitution itself. It is due to the blessings of Baba Saheb Ambedkar and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru," the Congress chief said.
He said that the Congress proudly tells people about the work its leaders have done for the country.
"But BJP people never talk about what the Modi government has done for the country. BJP people only commit atrocities on tribals and Dalits. Was Modi ji put in power for this?" Kharge said.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Day 54 of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra comes to an end with today's flag exchange ceremony at Jhalod in Dahod district of Gujarat. With this, the yatra enters Gujarat, the 14th state that we touch along the route."
"The highlight of today's yatra was the declaration of the five 'yuva nyay' guarantees by Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi," he said.
देश के युवाओं!
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 7, 2024
कांग्रेस आपको 5 ऐतिहासिक गारंटियां दे रही है जो आपकी तकदीर बदल देगी।
1. भर्ती भरोसा : 30 लाख सरकारी पदों पर तत्काल स्थायी नियुक्ति की गारंटी।
2. पहली नौकरी पक्की : हर ग्रेजुएट और डिप्लोमाधारी को एक लाख रू प्रतिवर्ष स्टाइपेंड के अप्रेंटिसशिप की गारंटी।
3. पेपर… pic.twitter.com/jC62VgPKzM
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Commercial LPG hike: Delhi restaurant owners warn of higher menu rates, job losses
New Delhi (PTI) A day after a 50 per cent rise in commercial LPG cylinder prices, Delhi's food business, with restaurant owners and street vendors have warned of higher menu rates, financial strain and potential job losses if the trend persists.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by a steep Rs 993 per 19 kg cylinder, marking the third consecutive monthly hike amid rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
For many in the restaurant industry, the spike has been both sudden and steep.
Manpreet Singh, honorary treasurer of the National Restaurant Association of India, said that eateries are already grappling with supply challenges alongside rising costs.
"There is a huge difficulty in getting these cylinders, and black marketing is also increasing in many unregulated sectors," he said, noting that prices that were once around Rs 1,600, often dropping to nearly Rs 1,300 with discounts, have now surged to between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 per cylinder.
He further added that a medium-sized restaurant typically uses between two and five cylinders daily, making the increase particularly burdensome as costs mount.
Singh further said that as costs mount, smaller establishments could struggle to stay afloat. Instead, the association has advised restaurants to shift towards piped natural gas connections through Indraprastha Gas Limited as a more sustainable alternative.
"If this problem continues, PNG is the only long-term solution," he said, adding that temporary measures like coal offer limited relief due to slower cooking times and that it can largely be used only for tandoors.
Echoing similar concerns, Kabir Suri, owner of Mamagoto in Khan Market, said the impact is already visible across the industry. "There has been almost a threefold increase in cylinder prices for restaurants," he said, adding that rising fuel and logistics costs are compounding the pressure.
"If this continues, it will become a significant financial burden, and food prices will inevitably go up. Adding to this burden, higher fuel costs are also affecting logistics and transportation, making a price rise unavoidable. The extent of the impact will vary between small eateries and large chains depending on their scale," he said.
Global oil prices have surged nearly 50 per cent following disruptions in energy supply chains due to the West Asia conflict, pushing up commercial fuel costs and transport expenses.
A West Delhi-based restaurateur said they are trying to manage rising costs while keeping their staff secure. "We are trying to ensure that our staff, from kitchen workers to waiters, are paid on time and do not face immediate hardship," the owner said.
"We are a small restaurant with seating for about 20 to 25 people at a time. But if this continues for long, we will have to take difficult calls. There is only so much we can absorb, and menu prices will have to go up. We hope this does not continue for a longer period," he said.
Another restaurant owner in North Delhi, who did not wish to be named, said operational adjustments alone may not be enough. "We are checking our costs very carefully and trying to cut wherever possible, but if fuel prices remain high, it will eventually affect how we run the business," the owner said.
"Coal helps in tandoor cooking, but it takes more time," the owner further added.
The strain is even more acute among street vendors, many of whom operate on thin margins. A vendor in Saket said he had recently expanded his business, moving from a mobile cart to a rented outlet.
"I have a family to feed and more responsibilities now. Earlier, I managed with a moving cart, but after renting the place, expenses increased," he said. "Whenever cylinders were unavailable, I had to buy them at higher rates in the black market. Now even regular supply is too expensive, and if this continues, we may have to shut down," he added.
In Laxmi Nagar, another vendor said they are struggling to keep the business running. "Sometimes we even used domestic cylinders from home when supply ran out because we had to keep the stall running," he said, adding that rising costs leave little choice but to increase prices or bear losses.
On April 1, the rates of commercial LPG cylinders were hiked by Rs 195.50 per cylinder, followed by a Rs 114.5 hike on March 1, taking the total increase over the past three months to Rs 1,303. With the latest revision, a 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder now costs Rs 3,371.5 in Delhi, up from Rs 2,078.5 earlier.
The prices of domestic LPG cylinders used for household cooking have remained unchanged. They were last increased by Rs 60 per 14.2 kg cylinder on March 7 and currently cost Rs 913 in Delhi.
