delhi

Updated: Jan 23, 2019 10:18 IST

Delhi employment minister Gopal Rai said Tuesday that the job fairs organised by the government had registered fewer numbers of recruiters in the past two years and blamed it on demonetisation.

The minister said the two-day mega job fair that concluded at Thyagraj stadium on Tuesday was attended by 79 companies that screened 14,000 candidates of whom 5,000 were shortlisted for recruitment. Last year, the job fair was attended by 89 companies and 6,000 candidates were shortlisted, Rai said.

“This drop in numbers is due to demonetisation. The Modi government should take steps to provide jobs to the youth,” he said, adding the firms hiring candidates for placement in Delhi will have to pay minimum wages.

The first mega job fair was held in 2015 in which 100 firms participated and shortlisted 12,000 candidates. In 2017, the number of companies attending the job fair and shortlisted candidates was 92 and 9,000, respectively.

The minister also said departments of Delhi government were highly understaffed and are running with just 20%-30% of the total staff strength as no new recruitment was done. “We will carry out a massive recruitment drive once the services power comes to us. Right now, this subject is under the jurisdiction of the lieutenant-governor,” he said.

Whether the Delhi government or the office of the lieutenant-governor has the power regarding service matters is yet to be decided by the court, which has reserved its judgment.

On implementing the revised minimum wages, the minister said the minimum wages advisory board of the government is examining suggestions with regard to revised wages prescribed by a committee, Rai said.

The next meeting of the board is on January 28, after which the government will file its reply in the Supreme Court, which is hearing a petition challenging the revision, he said.

The revised rates of minimum wages for unskilled workers are Rs 14,882 a month, Rs 16,341 for semiskilled workers and Rs 17,951 for skilled workers.