New Delhi, Feb 13 (PTI) Over 42,000 job fairs have been organised since 2019-20 and more than 18.4 lakh job seekers have been shortlisted, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the Rozgar Mela on October 22, 2022.

"14 Rozgar Melas have so far been held at the central level in 45-50 cities across various states/Union Territories. Several lakh appointment letters have been issued during the Rozgar Melas by the participating ministries/departments etc.," said Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel.

Through Rozgar Melas, recruitments have been made across all the ministries and departments in mission mode, he said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

Details of the distribution of appointment letters for various posts under mission recruitment are maintained by the respective ministries/departments/central public undertakings (CPSUs) etc., the minister said In addition to convening Rozgar Melas, the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, is implementing the National Career Service (NCS) project for the transformation of the National Employment Service to provide a variety of employment-related services like job search & matching, career counselling, vocational guidance, information on skill development courses, internships etc. through a digital platform [www.ncs.gov.in], he said.

Under NCS, both online and offline job fairs are organised, where private employers participate for their manpower requirement, Singh said.

"Since 2019-20, 42,234 job fairs have been organized and more than 18.4 lakh job seekers have been shortlisted," the minister said.

In a separate reply, he said employment generation coupled with improving employability is the highest priority of the government.

"Accordingly, the government of India has taken various steps to provide opportunities for employment to the youth of the nation," Singh said.

A major step up in infrastructure viz. roads, railways, airports, ports, waterways etc. has also boosted job opportunities in related sectors, he said.

In the Union Budget 2024-2025, the government announced the Prime Minister’s package of five schemes and initiatives to facilitate employment, skilling and other opportunities for 4.1 crore youth over a 5-year period with a central outlay of Rs 2 lakh crore, the minister said.

The Union Budget 2025-2026 also aims to create multiple employment generation opportunities across various sectors such as tourism, manufacturing, fisheries, etc., and also includes various measures to support entrepreneurship and skills for youth, Singh said.

The occurrence and filling of vacant posts in various ministries/departments is a continuous process, he said, responding to a query seeking steps taken by the government to fill up the vacant posts.

"As part of Rozgar Melas, organized by the government of India, vacant posts are being filled in mission mode, which will act as a catalyst in further employment generation across the central government ministries/departments, central public sector undertakings (CPUs)/autonomous bodies/educational and health institutions etc. in a time bound manner," the minister said. PTI AKV HIG