RONO HILLS, 3 Mar: “There is an urgent need to focus on the welfare of the labour class,” Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein said in his address during the valedictory session of the 63rd labour economics conference of the Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE) at Rajiv Gandhi University here on Friday.
The DCM urged the participants to “deliberate on the various issues related to labour economics and come up with practical solutions that will benefit the labour class in India.”
The ISLE was established in 1957 by former Indian president VV Giri for promotion of research; teaching and training in labour economics; and for contribution to policies related to labour and employment.
Since its establishment, the society has been instrumental in providing insights into the labour markets and labour welfare policies.
In reference to the labour reforms and policies currently being implemented, Mein said that the Centre is “right on track towards improving the working conditions of labourers throughout the nation while scaling our economic growth.”
Stating that unemployment is a global phenomenon, Mein said that the state government is “taking measurable steps to address the issue by creating livelihood opportunities for the youths under the Arunachal Pradesh Entrepreneurship Development Programme (APEDP).”
“The APEDP has been started to support and facilitate startups of the young entrepreneurs of Arunachal Pradesh to start their own businesses and achieve success in the process,” he said.
Highlighting the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Swalamban Yojana and the Chief Minister’s Paryatan Vikash Yojana, Mein said that “the state government is providing 40 percent front-ended capital investment subsidy to the unemployed youths to set up small and medium enterprises.”
“Apart from mobilising youths in the direction of entrepreneurship,” Mein said, “the state government is prioritising women and farmers in the state by enabling them towards enhanced means of livelihood opportunities through verticals such as agro-processing units.”
He urged the gathering of notable economists and professors to “encourage local youths toward shouldering the responsibilities of an ideal citizen and collectively facilitate the state in tackling such issues, leading to a massive facelift to the rural pockets of the region.”
The DCM also distributed certificates to the winners of the papers presented during the conference.
Among others, ISLE president Prof Deepak Nayyar, Indian Council of Social Science Chairperson Prof Dhananjay Singh, and United Nations University-WIDER Professor Kunal Sen also spoke.
More than 400 delegates from various universities across the country and abroad participated in the three-day ISLE conference.
