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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Late flourish masks CSK’s batting woes on lively Chepauk track, hosts post 158/7
Chennai (PTI): Bowlers calling the shots in a format dominated by big hitters is a rarity, but that script played out at Chepauk on Sunday as Gujarat Titans exploited a lively, bounce-friendly surface to stifle Chennai Super Kings before the hosts managed a late flourish to reach 158 for 7.
On a pitch that offered sharp carry, stroke-making demanded discretion and adaptability. Instead, CSK’s batters often opted for high-risk shots without fully assessing conditions, and paid the price with a flurry of miscued dismissals.
Invited to bat, CSK never quite found rhythm but skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s maiden half-century (74 not out) of the current IPL season lent a semblance of respectability to the total in a season where 200-plus scores have become commonplace.
Gaikwad's knock came off 60 balls with six fours and four sixes after a laboured start.
The tone was set early by GT pacer Mohammed Siraj, who extracted steep bounce and forced errors.
Sanju Samson (11) began watchfully, negotiating the first over before opening up against Kagiso Rabada to bring up his 5000 IPL runs milestone. However, Rabada’s bounce soon accounted for him as a hard slash outside off resulted in a faint edge that Jos Buttler pouched safely.
The dismissal triggered a collapse. Urvil Patel (4) fell in the same Rabada over attempting an ambitious pull, while Sarfaraz Khan (0) succumbed to Siraj’s extra lift, mistiming a short ball to offer a simple catch.
At 28 for 3 inside the Powerplay, CSK were already in trouble.
Gaikwad and Dewald Brevis (2) needed to rebuild, but the latter’s impatience against spinner Manav Suthar led to his downfall, holing out after failing to get to the pitch of the ball.
The mounting wickets forced Gaikwad into a shell — an approach that, while understandable, further stalled the momentum. His reluctance to improvise allowed dot balls to pile up, with CSK reaching 50 only in the 12th over.
The skipper eventually broke free, taking on Arshad Khan and Jason Holder with a couple of towering sixes, but the acceleration came too late.
Shivam Dube, dropped thrice on 6, 11 and 22, struggled for fluency before Arshad cleaned him up.
Kartik Sharma (15) and Jamie Overton (18) provided late impetus with a few lusty hits, but the damage had already been done.
On a pitch that rewarded discipline and smart shot selection, Titans' bowlers executed their plans to perfection, while CSK’s batters failed to read the conditions in time, a lapse that ultimately defined the innings.
