NEW DELHI, Sept 19: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the Government was working on multiple fronts to expand employment opportunities for the youth, citing Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), skilling initiatives and a Rs 1 lakh crore employment incentive scheme aimed at bringing two crore young people into the formal workforce.
Addressing a ‘Rozgar Mela’ (Jobs Fair) virtually, he also said that the talent and skills of India’s youth have won the trust of the entire world, which has great expectations from Indian innovators, entrepreneurs and the country’s youthful strength.
“India signed 40 Free Trade Agreements. These FTAs are opening new doors of possibilities for our youth. Such trade agreements pave the way for new partnerships for our entrepreneurs, open paths to new markets, and create new possibilities in careers for our youth,” Modi said.
At the function, he distributed more than 51,000 appointment letters virtually to newly selected youth, who will join various government departments and organisations.
Referring to the just-concluded BRICS Summit, Modi said India’s effort has been to ensure that BRICS cooperation does not remain limited to governments alone.
“Our entrepreneurs, our farmers, our women, our youth – everyone should become an active partner in this partnership,” he said.
He said initiatives such as BRICS CONNECT and the BRICS MSME Cooperation Portal were aimed at bringing entrepreneurs, farmers, women and youth into such partnerships.
Referring to the country’s startup ecosystem, the Prime Minister said India’s youth power is reflected in it and the startup ecosystem is no longer limited to big cities but has expanded to smaller cities as well.
“India is today the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem. And India’s startup story is no longer just the story of big cities. Today, nearly half of recognised startups are in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities,” he said.
Modi also highlighted the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rojgar Yojana, a Rs 1 lakh crore initiative aimed at bringing two crore youth into the formal workforce for the first time.
He said the scheme provides incentives of up to Rs 15,000 to first-time employees while also financially incentivising employers who create new jobs.
“The government is working on every front to increase employment in the country,” he said.
Modi also highlighted the Government’s skilling initiatives, including the National Education Policy, Skill India Mission and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.
He said 1,000 Government Industrial Training Institutes are being modernised under the PM-SETU scheme with an investment of Rs 60,000 crore and participation from industry.
“Our endeavour is that the education and skills of the youth keep pace with the needs of the changing economy,” Modi said.
He said opportunities for the youth increase when the economy grows, investments rise and new industries expand.
He cited a 7.8 per cent economic growth rate and a nearly 12 per cent rise in investments during the first quarter, and underlined upgrades to India’s sovereign credit ratings amid global uncertainties.
“The reforms of the past years have a major contribution behind this growth of India,” he said.
Modi said the country is moving forward toward a very significant goal of building a developed India by 2047.
“In this, young people like you have a very significant role to play. While serving in the government, you must make every decision that continuously strengthens the campaign for a developed and self-reliant India. Being young, you have a special responsibility, particularly towards other young people,” he said.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State in PMO Dr Jitendra Singh said more than 45 percent of recognised StartUps in India have at least one-woman partner or director, while women constitute more than 66 percent of beneficiaries under the MUDRA scheme, reflecting the expanding contribution of women to entrepreneurship and economic activity. He said the growing presence of women across different sectors is an important part of the changing aspirations and opportunities available to India’s youth.
He was addressing the 20th Rozgar Mela in New Delhi.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the changing employment landscape is no longer confined to conventional government jobs, with entrepreneurship, startups, self-employment and skilled livelihoods emerging as important avenues for young Indians. He said the expansion of these opportunities has also created greater space for women to participate, lead and contribute across sectors.
Referring to India’s rapidly expanding StartUp ecosystem, the Minister said the number of StartUps has increased from around 350 to about 2.5 lakh, with more than 50 per cent of StartUps now associated with smaller cities and towns. More than 45 per cent of recognised startups have at least one-woman partner or director, he said, reflecting the growing participation of women in India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said the increasing participation of women is also visible in government-supported entrepreneurship and livelihood programmes. Under the MUDRA scheme, more than 66 percent of beneficiaries are women, while the PM SVANidhi initiative has reached more than 50.63 lakh street vendors. Under the PM Vishwakarma scheme, around 2.72 crore applications have been received from people seeking to build and strengthen livelihoods through their traditional skills and craftsmanship.
Speaking about the Rozgar Mela, Dr. Jitendra Singh said the initiative has brought greater momentum to government recruitment while also contributing to improvements in the recruitment system. He said that alongside an increase in appointments, recruitment processes have become more transparent, time-bound and accessible to candidates.
Referring to recruitment through the three major central recruitment agencies UPSC, SSC and Railway Recruitment Boards, Dr. Singh said the number of appointments during the 10-year period of the previous government was around 7.22 lakh, while the corresponding figure during the subsequent 10-year period was around 10.96 lakh. He said recruitment against backlog reserved-category vacancies increased from around 1.08 lakh to approximately 4.79 lakh during the corresponding periods.
On recruitment reforms, Dr. Jitendra Singh said several measures have been introduced to make the recruitment process more transparent and candidate-friendly. The requirement of interviews has been removed for several categories of government recruitment, while examinations are now being conducted in Hindi, English and 13 regional languages.
Dr. Jitendra Singh also referred to Pratibha Setu, which provides an opportunity for candidates who reach the final stage of the Civil Services Examination but are not selected to explore suitable employment opportunities according to their qualifications and preferences.
Referring to measures to strengthen the integrity of public examinations, Dr. Jitendra Singh said the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 was brought in to curb malpractices in public examinations, with an amendment also introduced in 2026.
The Minister said the success of the Rozgar Mela model has encouraged several State Governments to organise similar employment initiatives. He said more than 6.79 lakh State-level appointments have taken place during the past one-and-a-half to two years across States including Rajasthan, Bihar, Assam, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said the changing employment ecosystem is giving young Indians a wider range of pathways to build their careers and livelihoods. From government service and entrepreneurship to startups and skilled occupations, the expanding opportunities are enabling India’s youth to pursue diverse aspirations, with women increasingly becoming an integral part of this transformation across every sector, he added.
