Centre shifts focus to urban employment

  • 11/12/2005

  • Economic Times (New Delhi)

After pursuing rural employment generation policies for a decade, the Centre will now focus on exportled urban employment generation. The government expects that with the present momentum of exports, close to 21 million jobs will be created in urban India during 2006-10. The government's policies henceforth will revolve on this principle, said union commerce and industry minister Kamal Nath. Talking at the inauguration of the Kolkata campus of Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Mr Nath said exports alone had created about 1.4 million direct jobs in last year. "A recent study has pointed out huge potential of international trade in employment generation for India. China has benefited immensely with this strategy and now we will also pursue it,' he said.