SHIMLA -14^th October 2024-The Himachal Pradesh government’s initiative to create overseas employment opportunities for youth is yielding positive results, as the first batch of five candidates has reached Saudi Arabia to begin their new roles. This group includes Rajat Kumar, Sunil Kumar, Jaspreet Singh, and Abhinav Sharma from Una district, along with Dinesh from Hamirpur district. On 31^st August 2024 Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presented appointment letters to these young individuals in Shimla.

Sh. Sukhu said that to enhance overseas job placements, the state government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with EFS Facilities Services Group Limited, based in Dubai, UAE. Following the Chief Minister's visit to Dubai in December 2023, EFS aims to fulfill 15-20 percent of its oversees hiring needs from Himachal Pradesh, targeting up to 1,000 candidates annually in sectors such as hospitality, technical services, housekeeping, food and beverage, and office support. Furthermore, the Labour and Employment Department has been tasked with developing a mechanism to track and ensure the well-being of candidates working abroad, highlighting the government's commitment to protecting its youth in foreign job markets.

"The State Government is committed to creating both employment and self-employment opportunities for the youth," the Chief Minister remarked. "In just 20 months, we have generated over 31,000 positions in the government sector. We are actively working to facilitate job opportunities abroad for our youth, ensuring that more individuals can be sent overseas for work in future. This initiative aims to protect the youth of Himachal from exploitation by unscrupulous agents."

He said that to further support self-employment, the government has launched the Rajiv Gandhi Start-up Scheme, to inspire young people in the state to pursue their own ventures and establish sustainable livelihoods.