Nothing was done in 70 years to address unemployment: Amit Shah

After stone laying foundation of Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) in Gandhinagar district along with Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons; Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that "nothing was done in the past 60 to 70 years to address the issue of unemployment."

"In 2014, after becoming the prime minister, the first thing Narendrabhai Modi did was to form a separate Skill Development Department to enable the youngsters not only to get jobs but also create jobs," he said.

Addressing the event held at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, where Shah laid the foundation stone through remote control, the Union minister said, "today in India, people are talking about unemployment. There is lot of negativity being spread. The previous rule of 60 to 70 years what steps were taken to address the problem of unemployment. A country that has a population of 130 crore, a new way will have to be found to give employment."

He added that through skill India movement, the issue of jobs will be eventually resolved.

The IIS is being set up at Nasmed village in Kalol taluk of Gandhinagar district which Shah represents as a member of parliament.

Tata Education Development Trust is helping in developing the institute that promises to skill 5,000 students every year.

The state government has granted 20 acre of land worth over Rs 300 crore.

The central government has planned three IIS in the country. Apart from Gandhinagar, two others are being set up in Mumbai and Kanpur.

During his speech, Shah made a suggestion to Ratan Tata that the latter should also include 272 Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in the project so that the benefit can be extended across the state.

Ratan Tata immediately responded through a chit during the speech and accepted the suggestion.