By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, July 26, 2022: Odisha has a total of 8,80,175 registered unemployed youths till April 30 this year, Skill Development and Technical Education Minister Pritiranjan Gharai said on Tuesday while replying to a written question of Congress MLA Santosh Singh Saluja in the state assembly,.

The total unemployed youth registered with the state employment exchange include 5,81,676 males and 2,98,499 females. The highest 73,126 unemployed students have registered themselves in Bhubaneswar while 53,939 students of Puri district have registered in the district employment exchange.

Moreover, 1,534 students have registered with the special employment exchange for physical handicaps and 58,701 with the special employment exchange for SC/ ST in Bhubaneswar.

Gharai said that the government has no proposal to provide Rs 10,000 stipend to the unemployed youths till they get jobs.

In another written reply, the minister said 12,948 engineering graduates and 34,379 diploma pass out students have registered themselves with different employment exchanges of the state during the last five years.

Only 26 engineering graduates and 257 diploma holders have got jobs through the employment exchanges. Besides, 5,126 diploma holders and 10,612 ITI pass-out students have been recruited through the central placement cell, he said.

Informing about the steps taken by the government for employment of educated youths, Gharai said different skill development training like soft skill training, employability skill test and industrial training is being provided to engineering graduates.

After completion of graduation, the passed-out students are being recruited through placement cells of concerned college or university, he said.

Similarly, employment opportunities are also provided to the ITI and diploma pass-out students through the central placement cell of the directorate of technical education and training, said the minister.

Besides, the Odisha government had formed the State Employment Mission in 2005-06 for the development of skills of unemployed youth.

The Chief Minister Employment Generation Programme has been implemented since 2014-15 while special job fairs are being conducted in different districts, he added.