In a bid to woo Delhi’s unemployed youth ahead of the upcoming assembly elections, the Congress party on Sunday announced the launch of the Yuva Udaan Yojana, a scheme aimed at providing financial support to educated but unemployed young people in the national capital.
Under this scheme, Congress promises to offer ₹8,500 per month for one year to eligible youth who are trained and seeking employment in companies, factories, or other organizations. The assistance, however, will not be handed out indiscriminately; Congress leader Sachin Pilot emphasized that recipients must demonstrate their skills and contribute to the workforce.
Pilot, a prominent figure in the Congress and former deputy chief minister of Rajasthan, explained that the scheme was designed to provide financial aid to youth who are actively looking for jobs and are placed in industries where they have received formal training. “We will provide financial assistance to youths who can show their skills in a company, factory or organisation. They will get money through these companies. This is not a scheme under which one will get money while sitting at home,” Pilot clarified.
The party’s intention is to foster skill development and empower young people by connecting them with opportunities that will improve their professional abilities, offering a solution to the growing unemployment rate among educated youth in Delhi.
In addition to the Yuva Udaan Yojana, the Congress party has rolled out several other schemes as part of their electoral promises. Earlier in January, the party launched the Pyari Didi Yojana, which promises ₹2,500 per month to women in Delhi if the Congress wins the elections. Additionally, the Congress introduced the Jeevan Raksha Yojana to offer free health insurance coverage of up to ₹25 lakh.
Polling for the 70-member Delhi Legislative Assembly will take place on February 5, 2025, with vote counting scheduled for February 8. The Congress, which has been out of power in Delhi since December 2013 when it was ousted by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), is hoping to regain ground. In the last two elections, the AAP won a landslide victory with 67 seats in 2015 and 62 seats in 2020, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lagged far behind. Congress, in contrast, failed to secure a single seat in both elections.
The announcement of the Yuva Udaan Yojana comes as the Congress intensifies its campaign, focusing on youth empowerment and job creation to address the pressing issues of unemployment and skill development in the city.
The elections are poised to be a tight contest, with all eyes on the Congress’s ability to make a strong comeback in the face of significant competition from the AAP and BJP.
Sources By Agencies