Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India’s startup ecosystem is no longer confined to major cities, with youth from villages, towns and smaller cities playing an increasingly important role in the country’s new economy.
Addressing the 20th Rozgar Mela after distributing more than 51,000 appointment letters to newly recruited youth in government organisations, PM Modi said India is currently the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem.
He said nearly half of the recognised startups are now located in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, reflecting the growing participation of young people from smaller urban centres in entrepreneurship and innovation.
The Prime Minister said youth from smaller towns are developing their own ideas, establishing companies and creating employment opportunities for others.
PM Modi also highlighted the government’s efforts to expand employment opportunities in the private sector. He referred to the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana, which has an outlay of approximately ₹1 lakh crore.
According to the Prime Minister, the scheme aims to provide around 2 crore youth an opportunity to enter the workforce for the first time. First-time job seekers will also be eligible for an incentive of up to ₹15,000, while employers creating new jobs will receive incentives under the scheme.
He said new employment opportunities emerge when the economy expands, investments increase, new industries are established and emerging sectors grow.
Addressing the newly recruited government employees, PM Modi said they would now become an integral part of the government system and urged them to work towards ensuring that citizens do not face the difficulties and hardships that previous generations experienced.
The Prime Minister also stressed the importance of continuous learning and skill development for government employees.
He said the new recruits should continuously improve their skills and familiarise themselves with new technologies and systems. He highlighted Mission Karmayogi, the government’s capacity-building programme for civil servants.
PM Modi said more than 1.70 crore government employees have already joined the iGOT Karmayogi platform, while Karmayogi Prarambh has been developed specifically to support newly recruited personnel.
He urged the new employees to continuously develop themselves so that they can provide better services to citizens.
The 20th Rozgar Mela was organised simultaneously at 45 locations across the country, where newly recruited personnel participated in the appointment letter distribution programme.
-IANS
