UP Cabinet clears Rozgar Mission to boost youth employment

Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to constitute the UP Rozgar Mission to help find employment for the state's youths in India or abroad.

State Labour and Employment Minister Anil Rajbhar told reporters after the meeting that the mission would enable the state to bypass third-party recruitment agencies.

"With the formation of this mission, we have set a clear target. We aim to send 25,000 to 30,000 unemployed youth abroad and provide employment to nearly one lakh youth within India's private sector in a year," Rajbhar said.

Earlier, Rajbhar said, the state government had to rely on external institutions with RA (recruitment licences) to send workers abroad.

"Now, with the mission in place, the state will obtain its own RA, enabling us to directly arrange overseas placements, particularly in high-demand sectors such as nursing, paramedical, skilled labour, driving, domestic work, and other manpower-intensive roles," he said.

Rajbhar said the demand for the mission was made imperative by a rising global demand for Indian manpower.

The cabinet Thursday also approved amendments to labour regulations to increase women's participation in factory work.

Until recently, women were barred from working in 29 categories of hazardous industries.

The government lifted restrictions from four such industries in December last year.

"At present, only 5 per cent of factories in the state employ women, and excluding Noida, the figure drops to about 1 per cent. With advancements in technology and our goal of women's empowerment, it was necessary to revise these outdated norms," Rajbhar said.

The minister said the changes will support the state's broader target of becoming a 1 trillion dollar economy.

He called the day's decisions a "big step" towards economic transformation and social empowerment in Uttar Pradesh.