Lucknow

Yogi Adityanath on Saturday directed officials to expand the Bal Shramik Vidya Yojana to all 75 districts of the state, stressing that no child should be deprived of education because of economic hardship.

Reviewing schemes and future plans of the Labour and Employment Department, the chief minister said labourers are the backbone of Uttar Pradesh’s economy and development, adding that the government’s priority was to ensure dignity, safety, education and employment opportunities for workers, youth and weaker sections.

Adityanath instructed officials to launch special drives in areas affected by child labour to enrol children in schools and strengthen rehabilitation efforts. He also asked authorities to prepare a skill development roadmap for such children in collaboration with the private sector.

Officials informed the meeting that the scheme, launched in 2020, currently operates in 20 districts and supports working children between the ages of 8 and 18 by enrolling them in schools and providing financial assistance.

The chief minister also reviewed the state’s Sevamitra Vyavastha, calling it an innovative model for employment generation and public convenience. The platform allows citizens to access domestic services through a mobile app, website and call centre.

According to officials, the portal currently has 1,097 service providers, 5,049 Sevamitras and 54,747 registered skilled workers. Adityanath suggested that government departments also make use of the platform to improve transparency and generate local employment.

Highlighting reforms in the Labour Department, Adityanath said the government was focused on maintaining a balance between industrial growth and workers’ welfare.

Officials stated that 32,583 factories have been registered in the state so far, including 18,407 registrations since April 2017. In the 2025-26 financial year alone, 4,860 factories were registered.

The chief minister also directed officials to establish labour facilitation centres, or “Labour Addas”, in industrial cities to support construction workers. He said these centres should function as comprehensive labour assistance hubs rather than merely gathering points.

Adityanath additionally emphasised the need for organised and safe accommodation facilities for migrant labourers.

Referring to the proposed industrial workers’ training institute and hostel scheme in Kanpur, the chief minister described it as an important initiative for skill development.

On employment generation, Adityanath said the government was committed to ensuring opportunities for youth at local, national and international levels.

Officials informed the meeting that the Uttar Pradesh Rozgar Mission, formed in July 2025, was facilitating jobs both in India and overseas and had received a recruitment agency licence from the Ministry of External Affairs.

According to officials, employment drives held in Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Varanasi and Kanpur led to the selection of 27,555 youths, including 2,300 for overseas jobs.

The meeting was also informed that during 2025-26, employment opportunities were provided to 3,74,776 candidates through 3,030 job fairs and campus placement programmes, while 6,80,469 youths participated in 4,873 career counselling sessions across the state.

Adityanath directed officials to ensure job fairs are linked to industry demand and youth capabilities instead of becoming routine formalities.

Officials further said employment opportunities had been identified in countries including Germany, Japan and Slovakia, while language training programmes in Japanese, German and English had also been launched.

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The chief minister finally instructed officials to modernise the Employment Department through digital systems, AI-based services and strengthened online counselling facilities on the Rozgar Sangam portal.